What Was Once, Will Always Be
by poeticgrace
Summary: Sometimes you have to go back to realize that what was once, will always be. Nathan/Peyton AU.
1. Chapter 1

Two years, five months, seventeen days, four hours and thirty-six minutes.

That was exactly how long it had been since she had seen him. There was something about knowing someone your entire life. For so long, the bond Peyton Sawyer shared with Nathan Scott had been the glue that held her together. The idea that this man was out there somewhere, made just to be this guy to her. She had always said that he was this cocky athlete who'd said sorry one too many times, but she had always secretly loved that very thing about him. She liked being the one that he would always come back to.

But things had changed as they had grown older. They had drifted into adulthood and away from each other. He had grown into someone who loved another woman, and she had the mixed blessing of falling in love with another man. From time to time, she still heard him mentioned in conversation with people from back home. In a small town like Tree Hill, it was inevitable that she not hear about the prodigal son. No one knew how hard it was to hear about the life that he was living without her; the mere mention of his name had been known to bring tears to the surface more than once. Yet, somehow, she always managed to hold them back.

When she had broken up with him at sixteen, she had no way of knowing the ripple effect it would invariably have on her life. She had truly believed at the time that he would never be anything else other than he was at that age, and that alone was what made her believe that she could be okay with her decision. With the success of her career in Los Angeles and his playing professional basketball in Charlotte, she had managed to put enough time and distance between them that their lives were as entwined as they once where. However, when her best friend called for the weekly update in New York, she always managed to find a way to ask about him or his wife. That conversation was often the highlight of her week because it was the only time she let herself think about him. She would find herself counting the minutes until she could hear Brooke's voice on the other end of the line. It was only then that she didn't want to forget.

At first, when she had left North Carolina for the golden dreams of the West Coast, Lucas had tried to be apart of it. However, in time, they had both come to understand that it was something that she had to do alone. When he left her in the hotel that day after the failed proposal attempt, Lucas shut a door on something that she would never open again. They hadn't spoken since that fateful day, and she never asked Brooke any questions about him. She cared of course, she always would. She had just finally come to understand that she couldn't use him to replace another.

Then, they had both gotten their dreams. Well, their second dreams, at least. She remembered the very night Brooke called to tell her that he had signed with a professional basketball team. Peyton had cried at the cruel irony of Nathan finally getting everything that he had ever dreamed about. He had the devoted wife, the beautiful son and the hopeful future. She only had memories of him. No one would ever see that sad side of her. Apart of her still believed that she was a missing part in his entire dream equation.

Nathan had tried to call her that same day that he signed his contract. As soon as the press conference was over, he dialed her number on the car ride back to their shared hometown. She had stared at the screen as she clutched the phone, afraid to let herself hear his voice. He had left her a long, rambling voicemail, his voice dripping with excitement. He had talked about the players he had met, the coach he would play for, the dream that was finally coming true. And then, he said something that would change her life forever, the one thing that could convince her to set foot back in the tiny town she had left behind two years ago.

"You were the first one who believed that I could do this on my own terms, Peyt," he had said quietly on the message. "I'm coming out to Los Angeles for a few days for preseason training next week. I would really like to see you."

Peyton finally gathered the courage to call him two hours later. She could remember the sound of his voice, thoroughly content and excited to know that she was on the other end. Without saying hello, she finally admitted to herself and to him that she really wanted to see him. "I'd love that, Nate," she told him. "I would love to see you."

Exactly one week later, Nate was on the plane headed back to Tree Hill. One conversation gone awry, and he had left without a word. As she sat with her face buried in her knees, Peyton stared at the sun's reflection on the cool cement of the bridge she and Brooke would come to when they were kids. So many times as a kid, she had run here. Whenever things at home got too hard or she had needed to escape from reality, she would seek solace in this place.

She had started coming there again in high school when she would have a fight with Nathan. More than once, he had followed her there. They would sit side by side in quiet until she was ready to talk. She had believed then that things couldn't get more complex. How naïve she was, she realized now. Things had gotten harder as she aged, and yet, she had somehow always managed to find a way to deal with it. This time, however, she wasn't as sure that she would be able to rebound. This time, she had lost Nathan forever.


	2. Chapter 2

Tears welled in Peyton's sparkling green eyes as she remembered that day. Wiping them away, she turned around in her chair to stare out the window of her penthouse office. She tried in vain to refocus her thoughts back to the latest demo to hit her desk. The search for new talent was an endless journey. As one of the youngest A&R reps on the label, Peyton was always consumed with her work. It was hard for her to find time for much outside of work, and what little time she did have was once again being spent on the phone with Lucas.

After almost a month of not talking, Lucas had called her drunk late one night. He had told her that he missed her and loved her. Peyton had been too lonely to admit that she just didn't feel the same. Instead, she had lied to herself and to him and reciprocated his feelings. Besides, with an entire country between them, it was easy for them to keep living their separate lives. Lucas was busy writing most nights. Peyton had wondered at first if there was another woman. It would have made it easier if there was. However, she knew that his only mistress was his work. After everything that had gone on with the two of them and Brooke in high school, he would never put her through that again.

As she wiped away the absent tear that had slipped from her eyes, the telephone blared from her desk, snapping her out of her daze and bringing her back to reality. Peyton glanced at the caller identification and then at the framed photograph on her desk. She forced a smile automatically without realizing that there was no one there to see her. She seemed to be doing a lot of that these days. Peyton knew that she should be happy to hear from him, but every time the phone rang, a little part of her wished that it was someone else…wished that it was Nathan.

"Peyton Sawyer," she answered curtly, absently tucking a loose curl behind her ear.

"Hey, Peyton, it's me," the familiar voice said on the other end of the line. Peyton knew that she should feel comfort at the sound of his voice, but she only felt lonelier. It was hard to have him reaching out for her when all she wanted to do was go further inside herself. "I just wanted to let you know that I'm not going to be able to make it out this weekend like I thought. There's this tournament in town, and one of the teams want to book my mom's café for a family dinner or something. I have to stay and help out."

"Can't she get someone else to take care of it? I mean, that is what she has employees for, Luke," Peyton pointed out. She really couldn't stand the idea of another weekend in her loft alone. It gave her too much time to think and remember.

"There isn't anyone else who can help her with this right now. Everyone else has had to work a lot lately since my mom was sick with the flu," Lucas explained. "It's been busy. They deserve some time off, too. Besides, I could use some time to write. You understand, don't you, Peyt?"

She wanted to say that she didn't understand, she needed him to be with her in Los Angeles with her. It was the only way she could convince herself that she was in love him, too. However, that wouldn't be fair to Lucas, especially considering all the times she has had to cancel on him because of work. "Sure, Luke, I understand. It's fine. I'll just pick up some movies or go out and see some bands," she lied. Silently, she prayed that Lucas would hear the sadness in her voice and tell her that he had changed his mind.

"Great, you're the best!" he exclaimed before muffling the receiver to answer someone in the background. "Look, I've gotta run. I'll try to call you later if I get time."

"Bye, Luke," she said softly.

"Peyton, I love- " he started to respond as she hung up the phone. Looking back out the window, Peyton knew that she had to get out of there. As the air in the room suddenly turned hot, she felt stifled in her spacious office. Grabbing her jacket and handbag, she quickly made her way out of the office and outside the sidewalk. Dodging the traffic on the street, Peyton headed to the one place she knew that she could make sense of the mess that was her life. She needed to find a bridge, and she needed to find it fast.


	3. Chapter 3

On the other side of the country, Nathan Scott readjusted his elbow as he watched the basketball sink effortlessly through the hoop. He was now in his first season of playing professional basketball. Each week, he sat down at his desk and looked over the same playbook he had lived by in high school. Sometimes it was hard, and sometimes it was an amazing blessing. It gave him a chance to remember what had been. It gave him a chance to think about the things he didn't let himself think about much these days. More than anything, it gave him a chance to be with her again, if only in his mind.

Everyone in his life knew of her, but few ever spoke about her anymore. They didn't think anything of it really. They just assumed that they knew what his life was now. They assumed that he was happily married with a beautiful son. No one knew that he cared about her, at least not as more than his brother's girlfriend or one of his old friends. He heard frequent updates on her life with Lucas from his brother and his own wife. Haley still adored Peyton. Neither of them knew how Nathan still felt about Peyton. They couldn't. When life had happened to them all those years ago, he had shut that part of his heart off from everyone else but himself. Since he signed his contract, he hadn't tried to reach out to her again. In fact, it was the last time he had even set foot in Tree Hill.

"Alright, that's it for today, guys!" the coach called out as the players dispersed and headed toward the locker rooms. "Good practice, Scott."

Nathan nodded in acknowledgement to the coach as he handed the ball off to one of the equipment managers and walked wordlessly off the court. Without a word to anyone, he headed over to his locker to get changed. He pulled off his sweaty practice jersey with one hand while yanking the metal door open with the other. His eyes met her bright green gaze as he looked at the photographs that lined the interior surface. There was one of him with Haley the day their son was born. He stared at his little boy, studying the one image that kept him going day after day like this. Whenever he felt himself slipping even further away from Haley, he only needed to think about his son. He loved that little guy more every day.

There was another photograph. This one was of himself with Lucas. He smiled at the image of the two of them with their arms thrown over each other's shoulder when they went to Charlotte to see the basketball game all those years ago. Meeting Lucas Scott had been one of the hardest things he had ever gone through. For a long time, they had been like best friends, but then they'd had a falling out that neither of them would speak about. He missed what it had been like. No matter what was going on in his life, he had known that he could count on Lucas to be there for him. When everything was going crazy, Nathan could call up Lucas and tell him all his problems. Other than his son and his mother, Luke was the only family Nathan really had. Now that was all gone.

Two more photographs were tucked into the locker. These were the photographs that he hid from the rest of the world. There was a photo of the entire group that last year they'd all been together. Seated on the bleachers was Haley, the girl that he was still pretty sure belonged with Lucas. He was sitting next to her in the picture. Nathan remembered how Lucas had grabbed her hand right before the picture was taken, and he could see the laughed shining in their eyes as they looked at each other. Brooke and Mouth stood behind the two of them. The two of them had always made the most interesting duo of friends. Skillz was by Haley's feet, that cocky smile lighting up his face.

And then, there was the most beautiful girl Nathan Scott had still ever seen. He hadn't realized at it at the time, but Peyton was leaning against Nathan in the photograph. He was staring down at her while she smiled up at him over her shoulder. It was the last time the group had been together and collectively happy at one time. He missed having his friends together. He missed the friendships they'd shared. He missed his brother. He missed his brother's girlfriend.

Peyton was also the subject of his final photograph. He had taken it the last time he had seen her. He wasn't sure why he needed to take it everywhere he went, but he knew that he felt empty without a piece of her with him. It was a beautiful black and white shot of Peyton staring at him over her shoulder. With only her hair framing her face, her silky white skin reflected the natural glow that had been evident that night. For only a moment, Nathan allowed himself to go back to that night. It was the first time in the million hours that had passed that he had allowed himself to relive the night that changed the course of their lives forever.


	4. Chapter 4

"_Oh, God, Nate," Peyton grunted softly as she rolled off him. Nathan grabbed her by the side and pulled her swiftly to his body so that they lay like spoons in the middle of the oversized bed. Neither of them had expected to be here, but now that they were, neither of them wanted to break the undeniable connection between them. He reached for her hand and wove his long fingers between hers. She rested her head on his chest, her fingernails lazily scratching the chiseled muscles of his stomach. Nathan could smell the sweet citrus scent of her hair, silently reveling in the feeling of her in his arms. Then, quickly, he rolled them over so that he was on top of her. Peyton smiled at his sudden impulsiveness as she wrapped her legs around his strong back. She had missed this, the simple feeling of Nathan's weight pressing against her. It still felt exactly like it had at sixteen._

_They were both quiet for several minutes. Nathan hovered over her body, staring into those green eyes he had once known as well as his own. "I'm leaving tomorrow, Peyt," he finally whispered. She nodded silently as she ran her hands down his back and across his bare waist. Peyton pulled him closer to her and rested her chin on his shoulder. She just needed to feel the weight, to feel him against her. As long as she could feel that weight, everything would be okay._

_Finally, she found the courage to say the one thing echoing in her mind. "I know," she murmured softly before Nathan pressed his forehead to hers. He stopped her sentiment temporarily with a brief kiss before pulling back to hear what she had to say. "I'm trying not to remember that right now. I'm trying to just remember what this feels like and not think about all the other stuff that awaits us outside these four walls. To let this feeling be burned into my mind."_

"_I have an idea," Nathan said as he tried to get up, but Peyton swiftly pulled him back down. She couldn't stand letting him go right now, even for a moment. She would have to let go of him permanently in far too little time. He would return to Haley, Tree Hill and everything that defined his life now._

"_Don't go yet, Nate," she pleaded. "Just stay right here with me just for a little bit longer."_

_Nathan brushed a reassuring kiss over her forehead. "I just need to get something from my bag, Babe," he said as he scrambled off the bed. Peyton smiled privately as she heard him use his high school term of endearment for her. It had been a long time since anyone had called her that. Actually, it had been a long time since she had allowed anyone to call her that. However, a moment later, the happiness faded as she felt the cool rush of air hit her body when he leapt from the bed. With that single moment, Peyton knew that it was gone. The spell had been broken. All too soon, she was once again reminded of his impending departure and the aftermath that this night would inevitably have on her relationship with Lucas and his with Haley. "There it is," he announced as he came back over to her. He smiled down at Peyton lounging in his bed. "Hey," he whispered. _

_Peyton turned slowly and grinned up at Nathan over her shoulder just in time for him to snap a photograph. She smiled and thought to herself that at least he would have something to remember this night, a tangible token to prove that all of this had actually happened. She grabbed for the camera and aimed it at him. "My turn," she insisted before clicking another shot. Nathan pulled the Polaroid from the camera and handed it over to her before climbing into the bed next to her. They watched together as the photographs developed and laughed when they saw the results._

"_We both look really happy. Wonder why," Nathan mused. "Looks like we just had the most amazing sex or something."_

"_Hmm, that sounds about right," Peyton agreed before leaning over to capture Nathan's mouth. They were quickly lost in the moment as he tangled one hand in her blonde curls and the other found its rightful place on her bare hip. She moaned hungrily against his mouth before working her way into his lap. When she had successfully managed to swallow all of the oxygen from Nathan's body, she finally leaned back on her arms and gazed up at him._

"_Hey, Peyt?" he asked. He was trying to find the right words to say exactly what he was feeling. He didn't want to scare her, but he needed for her to know how he was feeling. He laid his head against her chest, pressing his ear against her pounding heart. She reached for his hand this time and rubbed her thumb over his knuckles to reassure him. "I might love you."_

_She didn't miss a beat as she replied, "I might love you, too, Nathan." _

Nathan covered his face and collected his thoughts. He couldn't go back there. He had moved on with his life years ago when he had married Haley, or at least he had tried to. Every day since that night with Peyton, he continued to try. As he sat there in the locker room, an overwhelming feeling hit him. With the wave of somberness came a sense of suffocation. He stared back at the photograph of her from that night. He needed to find the only place where he could still be with her. Set beside a pristine beach and a crystal blue ocean, Nathan felt like he could be with her at his old beach house. And maybe, if he closed his eyes tight enough, she could be with him too.


	5. Chapter 5

Peyton removed a worn photograph from her pocket. It was always within her reach, her favorite secret weapon whenever the darkness overtook the light as it so often did in her life. She was a longtime survivor of pain and heartbreak, but nothing she had been through up to this point could have prepared her for living this double life. Losing both of her mothers before she graduated from high school had been tough. Putting Brooke through the love triangle with Lucas not once but twice had been difficult. The shooting, doing cocaine and all the other little intricacies that came with being Peyton Sawyer were hard. However, these were things that she knew how to deal with eventually. There was always someone there to rescue her. With Nathan, she knew that all of that was different. For the first time in her life, she couldn't be rescued; for the first time in her life, she was going to have to rescue herself.

Her slender finger traced over Nathan's dark face and allowed her lucid green eyes to fall shut. No one else knew that she carried it with her wherever she traveled, but its presence was always known by her. When she was in the middle of a hard day at the office, thoughts of his blue eyes comforted her. When she was really missing home, a weight bench in a high school weight room strengthened her. When she was trying to block out the emptiness with Lucas, memories of Nathan's hands on her body allowed her to pretend that she was with someone else. This photograph was her escape. It was her way of going home.

Then, on days like today when just knowing that the photograph was there wasn't enough, she would head out to this bridge to stare out at the clear blue ocean and think of Nathan. When she wanted to be with him, she would always come here. She would just gaze out at the water and think about everything that happened with Nathan and everything that had happened since. Sure, she loved Lucas, but it stopped being the love worth of great novels a long time ago. It was more of a comfortable affection shared between two friends, at least on her end. Her life was a mess, and her love for Nathan was right in the middle of it. And of course, being Peyton, she had no clue how to fix it.

Furious with herself for dwelling on the negative, she shook her head to clear her mind of anything and everything related to darkness that surrounded her relationship with Nate. In her time at the water, she only thought about happy they had been. For one perfect night more than two years ago, despite Lucas and Haley or maybe because of them, the two of them had been blissfully content. Now, as she stared down at Nathan, his beautiful clear blue eyes still saw into her soul, even in a photograph. For a cynic like Peyton Sawyer, it was a very bitter pill to swallow.

Her cell phone broke her out of her happy daze once again, the ring tone indicating that it was Lucas calling. She felt guilt wash over immediately as she decided that she didn't want to talk to him. Peyton let her voicemail pick up, vowing to call him later. She should want to talk to him, she realized, but she just wanted to be alone. She needed to be alone. A sudden burst of wind whipped her hair around her suddenly, casting a fury of blonde curls across her face. Closing her eyes, Peyton turned her head up toward the sun. Letting the warmth radiate over her skin, she said her mantra silently. Said more times than she could count over the past two years, it was the one moment in each day where she truly felt like maybe it was possible that somewhere in North Carolina, Nathan was thinking of her at the exact same moment that she was thinking of him.

"Look at the water and remember me as I remember you," she implored inaudibly to herself. She squeezed her eyes even more tightly shut to keep the tears at bay. "Look at the water to know that you love me as I love you."

Peyton's cell phone rang once again. The ring tone was unfamiliar for a second. She hadn't heard it in so long. And then, as she searched furiously through her handbag, she knew who it was. Looking down at the tiny screen, it simply said "Him." As the last few notes of Yellowcard's "Empty Apartment" faded away, she briefly remembered hearing it with him that night on the stairs at that party at the beach house. It had been a sad ending to say the least, but the song had spoken to her then and said a lot about their relationship now. Finally, with a deep breath for both courage and look, Peyton flipped the phone open with her shaky hands. "Hey."


	6. Chapter 6

Nathan laid back against the warm sand, letting his dark hair fall across his eyes. When he had come back to North Carolina after seeing Peyton, he had made a decision to make his marriage with Haley work. They'd hit a rough spot when he signed his professional contract, one that included something he had never been able to fully forgive his wife for.

There was something about walking in on your wife after having drunken sex with her best friend – your brother – that was hard to get out of your mind. Haley and Nathan had gotten into a huge fight the morning he flew out to California for a last minute meeting with his new manager. Things had been bad between them for awhile, and she had told him not to come home to her when he came back to Tree Hill. He found out later that Peyton and Lucas had gotten into a terrible argument over the phone. Both Lucas and Haley had been sure that their relationships were over and were only seeking comfort in each other. It wasn't finding them together that really killed Nathan, though he had to admit that it hurt. It was seeing the way Lucas held Haley when it was over. He'd seen that Lucas had the one thing that Haley needed most – trust.

It had taken a lot of time for the two of them to work to where they could have a relationship again, but Nathan had been able to find a way to live with Haley again. He had to do it for the sake of their son, even if he still remembered every detail of that horrible night perfectly. It was the last time he had spoken to Lucas, despite his brother's and wife's attempts at getting through to him. He had cut his brother out of his life because he needed to make a new beginning. He thought that if he left everything else behind, he would be able to forgive her.

Sinking further into the sand, Nathan closed his blue eyes and allowed an image of a curly-haired blonde to flood his mind. He welcomed her comforting memory as he pushed everything about Lucas and Haley out of his head. It had been awhile since he had been able to go back to Los Angeles, but he was suddenly missing the west coast more than ever. When he came back to Tree Hill determined to make his marriage work, he had tried his hardest to leave that night in L.A. Little had he known, Peyton would haunt him wherever he went.

Since coming home, he had spent countless hours hear in front of the beach house, just looking up at the clouds. He'd wade out into the water down by the shore some afternoons, remembering their last swim together in the hotel pool. It didn't really matter what he was doing as long as he was near the ocean, in front of the beach house and staring up at those clouds. He always told himself that Peyton was doing the same thing when he went there. It was their way of being together without really being able together. It was the only thing that was safe enough for either of them to handle.

Quickly, he sat up and took the photograph back from his pocket. He admired the gentle curve of her neck, the twinkle in her wide green eyes and the mysterious smirk behind her bemused smile. He thought about the way Peyton would always moan against his mouth when he kissed her. He thought about the way she would nibble on his ear when they woke up in the morning and she wanted some. He thought about the way her hip fit just right against his, and he thought about the way she couldn't help but smile whenever she said his name. He just thought about Peyton. Looking up at the clouds again, he sent a message into the breeze that had kicked up a few seconds before.

"Think of me as I think of you," he implored Peyton across the smiles. "Love me as I love you."

He felt silly doing such a thing, but that was the way Peyton had always made him feel. She had always been able to crawl under his skin and turn him back into the babbling junior too nervous to ask the head cheerleader out on a real date. No one knew how nervous he'd been when he'd taken her to that party on their first date. They'd only seen the cocky façade he'd put on for the rest of the world. But Peyton, she'd seen right through it. She had admitted to him weeks later when they were settling comfortably into their relationship that she liked that side of Nathan. She was still the only one he had ever really see that part of him.

Wherever Peyton was right now, Nathan had no doubt that he was on her mind. He could feel her there with him. Taking his phone from his pocket, he dialed her number from memory.

"Hey," she answered as though she was expecting his call.

Nathan exhaled a long breath he hadn't known that he was holding in at the sound of her voice. "I need to see you."

The silence between them is palpable, and for just a moment, Nathan allows the fear to creep back in. And then he hears it, a long exhale mimicking his only minutes before. He can _feel_ it, the same way she is affected by it. "I know," she retorted finally before peace settled over them both, a feeling neither had felt in far too long.


	7. Chapter 7

"I need to see you," Nathan said again. He knew that he had to say it one more time while he still had the courage. He had to be sure that she didn't just know but that she really _knew_. He waited for Peyton to say something – anything – but she remained silent for a few moments.

"What?" Peyton asked finally. Her voice was thick with confusion and yearning and sadness and regret. He hated that he had anything to do with any of that. He wanted to take it all away, and he knew that he could. That was what the call was about.

"Can I come there? Or you can come here, whatever you want," he rambled. Nathan had always been known for his cool and nonchalant demeanor. However, with Peyton, that reserved veneer just fell away. "We could meet somewhere else if you want, it doesn't matter. I just need to see you, Peyt."

"Nate, give me a second," she implored breathlessly. Her mind was racing a million miles a minute. "I haven't talked to you in a long time. Just give me a minute to think." Nathan was silent as she took a deep breath. "Okay."

"Okay? What does that mean?"

"I can't come there, and you know why," she replied. Nathan could hear her tugging absently on one of those adorable blonde ringlets from nearly 3,000 miles away. "I was supposed to go out of town for this conference on Monday, but I can probably convince someone else to cover for me. You could come here then. Would that work?"

Nathan smiled as relief washed over him. He couldn't believe that he had been afraid that she would shoot him down when he knew that Peyton would want to see him. "Yeah, that works," he grinned. Peyton could see that smile all the way from California. It was the one that had always made her see Nathan Scott as a beautiful man. "Give me a few hours to make some plans. I'll set up a meeting with a trainer or something so I have an excuse to come out. I'll call you when I have everything worked out, alright?"

"Sounds great," she murmured. "I can't wait…Hey, Nate?"

"Yeah?"

"I need to see you, too," she replied as she hung up the phone.

Nathan couldn't help but jump up and shout in excitement. Strangers passing by stared after him, but he didn't care. Nothing else in the world mattered in that moment other than he was going to see her. On the other side of the country, Peyton flipped her cell phone shut and tucked it back into her handbag along with the photo of Nathan. The stifling emotions were gone, and she felt suddenly revitalized. She was going to see him.

By the close of business that day, Peyton had convinced another junior rep to take her place at the conference. An all inclusive-excursion to Miami in the middle of party season wasn't all that difficult to pawn off onto an underling hungry to be recognized. After quickly canceling her reservations to Miami, she had booked a night in a hotel near her loft for Nathan. She had contemplated just letting him stay at her place, but she didn't want either of them to assume anything. Going into his visit to Los Angeles, she knew that she had to be guarded. It was awkward enough without any assumptions. She'd even asked them to hold the room for a few extra nights in case he decided he wanted to stay there for the duration instead of at her place.

For his part, Nathan had managed to set up a pointless meeting with his agent so that he didn't exactly have to lie to Haley about going to L.A. He would just leave pretty much everything else out when she asked about his trip. With his flight reservations made, he had gone as far to rent a car so that Peyton didn't have to worry about carting him around the city. He didn't want to have to leave her feeling obligated for anything. Now, with those plans confirmed, he dialed her number from the living room of the beach house. Reciting the number from memory, he still couldn't believe that he was calling Peyton. For a split second, it was as if no time had ever passed.

"Peyton, it's Nathan," he said as soon as he heard her pick up.

"I still know your voice, Nate," she giggled. "So, am I going to see you?"

Nathan couldn't help but grinned. He was the one who had suggested it, after all. Still, he knew that she was giving him one last out. She was just as anxious about all of this as he was. "Yeah, I'll be there Sunday night. I had to take a late flight out so that I could spend the day with Jamie," he told her. "I should be in at 8:30. Take a cab; I rented a car so I'll just drive us from there."

"Cancel your car rental, Scott," she insisted, using his last name for emphasis. "I have my car out here. We can just use it."

"Whatever you want, Peyt," he relented easily. "I will see you Sunday night."

"Sunday night," she repeated. "I really can't wait, Nathan."

"Me neither," he admitted, his heart flying at her confession. He tried to ignore the images of his wife and brother as they flashed in his mind. How could something so wrong feel this right? "I've missed you."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," she retorted mysteriously before disconnecting the call. Wordlessly, Peyton replaced the phone on its cradle and leaned back in her chair at her desk. He had just admitted that he missed her. She had wanted to hear those words for the past two years, even when she had known it all along. In that moment, Peyton knew she had to figure out a way to let the past (and her present) go. Wherever this visit took her, it was something that just had to be done.

Nathan threw his phone on the side table after hearing Peyton end the call. She hadn't exactly reciprocated what he had said, but he knew that she had missed him. He'd heard it in the very first word she'd said earlier that day. For a minute, he felt another wave of guilt wash over him as he thought about Lucas and Haley. Although Haley had only briefly mentioned it lately, he knew that Lucas and Peyton were still very much together.

Before that night with Peyton and Lucas' night with Haley, his brother had been his best friend. Yet, he could still trace his life back to the exact moment where that ended. Since then, Nathan had mentally forgiven his brother for that night, but he'd never said it aloud. Things would never be the same between them. They could never manage to recapture what they had both lost that night. He'd had to let it go with Haley. It had actually been easier with her. It was easier when he didn't really care anymore. With Lucas, it just wasn't so.

Letting go was also something he couldn't do with Peyton. He wanted, more than anything, to get what they had back that perfect night two years ago. With her, it was like breathing. It was instinctive, automatic and necessary. He couldn't live without her anymore. He hadn't really lived in the past two years without her. On the outside, he was going through the motions. On the inside, other than when he was with his son, Nathan had been dead for those two years, five months and seventeen days. Peyton Sawyer was his air, and Nathan couldn't wait to breathe deeply again.


	8. Chapter 8

Nathan checked his carry-on bag once again for the manila envelope. When his fingertips brushed over the cardboard, he smiled privately to himself before pulling tickets from another envelope and shoving them into his pocket. With Haley in tow, he rushed through the bustling airport corridor toward his departure gate. He had ended up telling his wife that he was actually going up to San Francisco to meet with a trainer. He was afraid that she would see through his real intent for going to the City of Angels. As they neared the security checkpoint, he silently thanked God that she couldn't follow him inside the gate. Glancing down at his stainless steel diver's watch, he noted that he only had fifteen minutes before the plane would start boarding.

"I'm really going to miss you," Haley said as she embraced Nathan from behind. He instinctively leaned her head back against her shoulder. She gazed up at him adoringly before brushing a kiss over his forehead.

"Maybe at night, but you'll be busy with school and Jamie," he reminded her before pulling away. "I'd just be at gym if I was here anyhow, so just pretend that I'm at home. Before you know it, I'll be back. You won't even have time to miss me."

Haley shook her head. "I already miss you."

Nathan kissed her cheek chastely and patted her hand as an announced a flight to San Francisco. He turned to Haley and kissed her again before throwing his bag over his shoulder. He turned back to her, faking sadness. "C'mon, Hales, get out of here," he urged with feigned sentimentality. "I can't stand you watching me leave."

He hated how easily the lie slipped from mouth. Nathan wasn't surprised. He had been lying to her for months and months. He had mastered the art easily and willingly. It was a technique that he had perfected on himself. It took constant reminding that he loved his wife to make it work, but he always managed to pull it off in the clutch. Like his faithful lay-up shot, it was something he could rely on when things were looking bleak and he needed to score.

"But, Nate-" she started to plead. Looking up into his eyes, she realized that he had meant it. He didn't want her there. Turning on her heels and with a quick air kiss over her shoulder, Nathan watched as Haley walked away. Only when she was out of his sight did he breathe a sign of relief. Turning on his own sneakered heels, he jetted off as quickly as his toned legs could carry him to the Los Angeles flight awaiting him at Gate 14. As he passed a crowd of tourists from Canada, he didn't notice the brunette staring after him. Haley watched from afar as he boarded a flight to a different California city. A flight to Peyton.

Meanwhile, back in California, Peyton readjusted the picture hanging in the entryway one more time. She had made up the guest bed with new Egyptian cotton sheets. She had stocked her fridge with his favorite beer, frozen pizza and cookies. She had brought in a new widescreen television and made sure that his bedroom was perfect. Not expecting but secretly hoping, she really wanted him to stay with her. She had even put some of that awful rap music that he adored into the stereo on the dresser. Whatever she could do to make him comfortable, Peyton wanted to do it. She glanced at the clock above the sink and realized that she needed to call her cab. In less than an hour, she would see the most gorgeous blue eyes the world had ever seen. She would see Nathan.

On the way to the airport in the taxi, she kept practicing what she would say when she saw him. It felt silly to rehearse a conversation with him in her head, but she couldn't help it. She was a bundle of nervous energy. Realizing just how frazzled she was, she pulled out her phone to call the only other person in the world who knew that he was coming. "P. Sawyer!"

"Hey, B. Davis," she giggled. "So I'm in the cab."

"Ah, yes, how excited are we right now?"

"Oh, you know…"

"You're my best friend, of course I know," Brooke laughed. "You know, Nathan called me last night. I guess he wasn't sure if you would tell me or not. He wanted someone to know in case something happened with Jamie and someone needed to find him."

Peyton knew her best friend well enough to know how overprotective Brooke got when it came to her heart. The sultry brunette designer was the only other person who knew about their night together two years ago. She had been torn at first between her devotion to the two women, but when she had realized that it wasn't likely to be repeated, she had kept the secret locked away in her heart along with all the other things Peyton had confided to her over the years. Nathan had been relieved to know that someone else knew, too, because it gave him someone to talk to. They never did talk about it really, but it was nice to know that she was there if he needed her.

"I told him that he had to be careful with you, that you were still hurting," Brooke confessed. She waited for Peyton to chide her, but when she didn't, she told her best friend what else she had told Nathan. "You know what he told me? He told me that he didn't want to hurt you. In fact, I believe his exact words were, 'More than anything, you have to know that.' It was a pretty good line. I can't believe I fell for it."

"I miss him, Brooke."

"I know that," her friend responded softly. "He's missed you, Peyt. No one else knows that but me. Neither of you has really admitted it. I still don't know what fully happened between you two. I can't believe you won't even tell me. I just know how you were after it would happen, and I don't want to see you back there."

Peyton closed her eyes briefly as she remembered that horrible month after Nathan had left. Brooke had flown out from New York to stay with her Peyton would just and stare out the window and cry for hours. Lucas had tried to get through to her, but Peyton wouldn't open herself up to him. She refused to share their secret with anyone. Brooke had only found out because Peyton had accidentally let it slip one night when she was trying to console her.

"No one really knows what happened that night but Nathan and me. Neither of us can tell anyone else about it either," Peyton reminded her friend. It was their secret. She was adamant about that to the core. "I can't take it back, Brooke, and I don't regret what happened that night either. I just regret…"

"What, Peyton?" Brooke was stunned that her best friend had opened up this much about Nathan. She knew that it was only the adrenaline of getting to see him again. "Tell me."

Peyton wiped away the tear that had slipped from her eyes and turned to look at the city rushing past her. "I only regret everything single second that has happened since," she said finally. "Brooke, I need to ask you one thing."

"What's that?"

"Is he happy?" she asked quietly. "Does Haley make him happy still?"

"Oh, Peyt," Brooke mused affectionately. "Nathan hasn't been happy a day in his life since he left L.A. Missing you is like missing apart of himself. You know that. You've felt the same way."

"You have no idea." Her best friend definitely knew her too well. "Listen, sweetie, I'm pulling up to the airport. He should be getting in any second. If he asks, if anyone asks, this never happened."

Brooke would keep the truth about Peyton and Nathan from everyone but Peyton and Nathan. She would never lie to one about the other. "If he asks, I have to tell him the truth. I won't lie to Nathan about you," she countered. "But I won't mention it unless he asks, okay?"

Peyton was grateful that they had one person that would somehow manage to be on their side no matter what. In the beginning, before there was a Lucas and a Haley, it had been the three of them. She still missed that sometimes. "Thanks, Brooke. I miss you."

"I miss you, too, Best Friend," Brooke replied as the call ended. "Take care of our boy."

Walking down the long tunnel, Nathan smoothed his hair one last time before slinging his black duffle bag over his shoulder. He slowed his pace until he was the last one to file into the arrival gate. As he stepped into the main atrium of the airport, Nathan scanned the crowds encircling around him. He couldn't see her in the masses of people rushing past him. Turning in a circle, he frantically searched the crowd again until he saw her. Her lanky frame and head of sprightly blonde curls filled his gaze as she leaned against a wall, looking around equally as frantically for her. Just as his eyes found her, her eyes found him. Blue locked with green as they quickly shortened the distance between them and suddenly, there they were.


	9. Chapter 9

Nathan felt his breath catch in his throat as Peyton rushed toward him. He felt an easy smile slip onto his face as he composed himself quickly, waiting for that simple but familiar rush of just being in her presence. He could see tiny silver tears welling in the corners of her eyes, the same green eyes he'd known as well as his own at one point. Even now, his first instinct was to carefully brush them away with the pad of his thumb and apologize for putting them there. While everything in his mind screamed at him not to, he cupped her face in his hands and smoothed the tears away absently. "Hey," he murmured softly as she looked at him.

All the anger that had been there over the past two years didn't matter. It was gone along with the sadness as Peyton leaned against Nathan, reveling in the warm of his body. She wrapped her long arms around his torso and pulled him as close to her as possible. "Hey," she answered back.

Nathan pulled away from her slightly to look back into those green eyes he'd missed so much. "Wanna get out of here?"

She shook her head adamantly, "I'm not ready to let go yet."

With that, Nathan wrapped his own arms around her slender waist and pulled her flush against his toned body. The familiar scent of her hair, the way the curves of her body fit into his, it was all still there. He wanted to tell her everything but couldn't find the words to say anything. He was so aware of everything when she was around.

"How was your flight?" she said into his chest, inhaling deeply and closing her eyes to forever cement this moment in the mental scrapbook she had of her relationship with Peyton.

"Fine," he mumbled as he closed his eyes. A million thoughts were racing through her mind. She felt incredible, he thought to himself. As much as he loved Haley, it always felt like something was missing. With Peyton, in that airport, he felt whole for the first time in more than two years. He pulled back slightly and rested his forehead against hers. "You ready now?"

Peyton nodded solemnly as Nathan picked up the bag he had thrown at their feet. Neither of them said another word until they reached the parking lot. One of her friends from the office had dropped her car off in the terminal parking lot after borrowing it for the day. Nathan's face lit up as he spotted the old black convertible. Without any conversation or explanation, Peyton slipped the keys into his hand just as she would have in high school. He grinned at her gratefully as he threw his duffel and slipped behind the wheel.

Once they had gotten past the greeting, the awkwardness of the situation had become stifling once again. Peyton snuck a look at Nathan as he readjusted the seat and started to play with the mirrors. He was even more toned than the last time she had seen him. Other than that, eh was the same boy she had loved at sixteen.

"Thanks for letting me drive," Nathan said finally, breaking the silence. She simply nodded as he turned they key in the ignition, bringing the classic car's engine to life. "Where to, Ms. Sawyer?"

"Well, I have that room at the hotel near your house," he said. "We could go by there and drop off my stuff before we grab dinner."

"Oh," she retorted, the disappointment obvious in her voice.

"I don't want to assume anything, Peyt," he assured her cautiously. He knew that one false step would bring Peyton's walls back up at full force. This was going to be hard enough without having to fight through her tough exterior. "I wasn't sure that you would think it was appropriate."

"Of course it's fine, Nate," she laughed. "And why wouldn't it be appropriate? You're one of my oldest friends. There is plenty of room at my loft."

Still, Nathan felt like he should give her another escape clause. He didn't want her to blame him for making any decisions for her if something didn't go according to plan. "I don't know, Hales doesn't really know I'm here. She's going to be angry enough when she finds out that I'm not up in San Francisco like I said."

"Fine, do what you want, Nate," she shrugged in anger. "You always do."

Nathan turned and looked at her, surprised by her anger. "I'm sorry, you're right. We're adults, and you know what you want," he apologized. "I would love to stay with you, Peyton." As soon as the words escaped from his mouth, his cell phone started blaring from his jeans pocket. He pulled it out and checked the screen. Haley, of course. He glanced at Peyton before answering it, turning slightly to shield the blonde from the conversation.

"Hey, Haley," he answered.

"Hi, Nate, just wanted to check and see how your flight was," she said sweetly over the line. "Did you land okay?"

"Sure, everything's fine."

"How's the weather?"

He cringed as he looked out the window. "Great, a little rainy compared to Tree Hill."

"Send me a postcard, won't ya, Nathan?" she asked kindly. "I'm thinking about starting a collection of all the places you travel so we can give it to Jamie."

"I'll try if I have time," he lied, feeling guilty at the mention of his son. "Look, I have to run."

"Sure, me too," she replied. "I love you, Nathan."

"I love you," he replied as his eyes locked with Peyton's. He saw the shiver run up her spine as he disconnected the call and dropped it into the console. They held each other's gaze for a long moment before she finally turned away.

Nathan smirked as he put the car into reverse. He was secretly enjoying just how nervous he still made her. As he reached down to shift the car into drive, his knuckles brushed against hers. She quickly removed her hand and touched it to her lips out of habit. Then, just as quickly, she went back to what she was doing, putting a bottle of water into the cup holder. "So, Nate, tell me why you're here."


	10. Chapter 10

As he considered Peyton's question, Nathan suddenly found himself remembering that morning two years ago.

_Nathan rolled over and reached for Peyton, wanting to pull her close in what could be their last time together for months. As he stretched out his hand, all he found was empty air. Suddenly, his eyes were open in alarm as he looked around the empty room. Beside him on the pillow was a folded piece of paper with his neatly printed on the outside in her familiar handwriting. _

_Nathan,_

_We've ended this thing between us too many times, and I'm not sure that my heart could take another. This is it – we both know that it was. May Haley, Jamie and this awesome opportunity to play basketball bring you everything that you have ever dreamed of and so much more. Remember that no matter where you go, who you meet and what you do, I will be here missing you, loving you – always. _

_Peyton _

_Nathan had crumpled up the paper as surprising tears flowed freely down his face. He had never cried over Peyton in the past. It was true, they had both known what last night was, but he wanted them to have more. He wanted to come back to Peyton, like he had before when they were young. At the very least, he wanted to have a proper goodbye, but she had been too scared to even give him that. He knew that to Peyton, it looked like he had given her everything that he had and it still wasn't enough. _

_A half-hour later, he sat in the backseat of a taxi as it cruised down a palm-tree lined street toward LAX. He looked at every building, every park bench, every streetlight, trying to take it all in. As the car paused at a stop sign, Nathan was surprised when he caught a glimpse of her. She was wearing a sage green summer dress, her shoulders draped in a soft white cardigan. A tall blonde man walked beside her, his arm wrapped causally around her waist. Sunglasses hid her clear green eyes as she stopped on the corner and turned to the man. It was Lucas. Nathan had known it before he even got a clear look at him._

_Peyton turned to Lucas and said something with a sad smile as he wrapped both his arms around her and gathered her in a hug. She put her head on his shoulder and listened to him say something. Nathan tried to read his brother's lips, but they were too far away. He watched in disappointment as Peyton laughed and leaned up to kiss Lucas on the cheek. Grabbing his hand, she pulled him into the café they had stopped outside of, and Nathan's cab pulled away. _

The major misconception between Haley, Lucas and Nathan had always been that he quit talking to his brother because he slept with his wife. The truth was, Nathan had stopped talking to Lucas after seeing him with Peyton that day on the corner. He'd never really figured out how Lucas had gotten back to Tree Hill in time to hook up with Haley or why he was even in L.A. in the first place. Like everything else with the situation, logic just didn't seem to pertain. Nathan knew that it was a crazy mess, the stuff of soap operas. Still, this was his life, and he had tried to do the best he could with it.

Peyton had tried to call his cell phone a dozen times in those first few weeks, but he could never find the courage to actually answer it. He was too angry, too hurt, to even listen to her voicemails. He had always felt like she had chosen Lucas over him once, and on that morning, she chose him all over again. Nathan had truly believed that Peyton loved him after their night together, but reality reminded him that it was his brother that she truly loved. She hadn't even loved Nathan long enough to wait until he was out of L.A. to see Lucas. She had only loved him enough to make up a lame excuse and make a few promises that he knew she wouldn't keep.

As the months passed and stretched out into two years, he had been able to keep her at arm's length. But as she sat next to him in the car, he knew that he couldn't do that anymore. There wasn't a way to escape. He couldn't avoid her questions. He couldn't ignore her presence. He deserved an explanation of that morning, and he was there to make sure that he got that.


	11. Chapter 11

Peyton gazed out across the clear blue water as Nathan guided the black convertible along the beach highway. She glanced out of the corner of her eye to the steering wheel where his knuckles had turned white fro gripping it so hard. Neither of them had said a word for quite some time, both wrapped up in the emotions of seeing each other for the first time and what the next few days would bring. As she watched the waves crash onto the shore, her mind drifted back to a warm, sunny day exactly like this one had been.

_She was barely aware where she was with or who she was with as she opened her eyes after what had proven to be the most exhausting and exhilarating night of her life. In a few minutes, she knew that Nathan would wake up, and they would go through the motions of saying goodbye. Nathan would return to the life he had chosen and the one she hadn't been aware that she had wanted until last night. _

_Peyton hated the sound of goodbye. She had had to say it too many times, and the last thing she wanted to do was say it to Nathan – not after last night. They had done this same routine more times than she could count when they were together in high school, more times than she would like to remember. An overwhelming, all-consuming wave of sadness shot through her body as she watched the man she realized that she loved more than anything sleep beside her. One night with him had awakened everything she had known at sixteen. As he breathed in an out again, she knew what she had to do. She had to let this be the final time they would ever say goodbye. He deserved to be happy with his wife and son, to have his dreams. She knew that she would only get in the way._

_She quietly tiptoed to the desk and tore a piece of paper from an open notebook. She slowly and deliberately scrawled the note, choosing each word carefully. Once she had dressed and gathered what she wanted to take with her, she folded the piece of paper in half and placed it on the pillow next to him. Peyton looked at him and suddenly regretted what she felt she had to do. Kissing him one last time, she grabbed her bag and shut the door on Nathan one final time. _

_As soon as she found herself beneath the morning sun, she took off running. Through the courtyard, down the sidewalk, across the street. Once she was securely in the park, she started to walk determinedly, not daring to look back in case she changed her mind. Minutes later, she had quietly let herself into her office. It was only then that she allowed herself to look back in the direction she had come toward her one truth north, her one true home._

"_Goodbye, Nathan," she finally whispered aloud into the morning air, the tears prickling her eyes. Her body literally ached from his absence. It was a strange but familiar sensation, one that she hadn't felt since those lonely nights after they would get into senseless fights and he would disappear into the darkness only to return the next morning with a vapid apology and whispered sweet nothings. She would have given anything to be back in that place, to know that they would have a tomorrow. _

_After sneaking by a few of her co-workers and changing into some spare clothes she kept hidden in the bottom drawer of her desk, Peyton decided to head down to the little coffee shop on the corner she frequented. She found herself walking all over her little pocket neighborhood, tracing the few places she had visited with Nathan. Piecing the puzzle of her life together, a puzzle that really began when she had fallen in love with him. She remembered all the places in Tree Hill that gave even more history of their relationship – the old movie theatre where they had their first real date, a French bistro they had shared a meal together after their first big fight, a swing set at the old elementary school where he had pushed her and all the million other places that would forever remind her of him. _

_As she rounded the corner near the little shop, she spotted a tall blonde man. Even from behind, she had known instantly that it was Lucas. Part of her wanted to walk the other direction, but the other part of her knew that she had to face him. He was clearly in Los Angeles for her. _

"_Hey, Peyton!" Lucas exclaimed excitedly. Wrapping his arms around her, he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead as a yellow taxi slowly drove past. He felt her shiver as the cab stalled at the stop sign behind them. "Surprise! I was actually about to grab something before I came to visit you. I just got in. I'm a little jetlagged, but I'm sure that I'll make for decent company."_

"_Sure, Luke," she replied tiredly as she followed him into the coffeehouse. She knew that she should be ecstatic that he had come all this way to surprise her. She knew that this was the moment in a romantic comedy where the music would rise and lesser girls than her would wipe away their sappy tears as they realized that the two blonde characters were destined to be together forever. Then again, she was pretty sure that this was just fate's cruel way of reminding her what she really wanted instead of what she was going to have._

"_Where were you last night anyhow?" he asked as he handed her a soy latte. "I tried to call you and tell you that I was going to fly out. I never got a hold of you."_

As Peyton came back to the present, she looked over at Nathan. Two years later, she couldn't remember what lame excuse she had made up. She only knew that she had lied to Lucas because it was easier. That was the problem with a lot of her decisions. Although she had made the occasional difficult decision, Peyton had always chosen what would hurt the least for them most part. With Lucas, it was safe. She knew what that relationship would be. With Nathan, she knew that he had the power to both kill and resurrect her, to shatter her heart into a million pieces and glue it back together as if it had never been broken at all. Peyton knew that she could withstand losing Lucas, but if she truly had Nathan again and lost him, she would never recover.

"So, Nate, tell me why you're here," she stated plainly.

He looked at her and shook his head as though he was lost in his own thoughts. "I want to know why you left without saying goodbye," he said. "I want to know how you could have what we had that night and then go back to Luke the next morning."

"I didn't, Nate." She knew that she could point out that he had gone back to Haley, but she knew now why he went back to Tree Hill. He'd gone back because she hadn't stayed. It was her fault that they had lost the last two years together.

"I saw you at the coffee shop on my way to the airport, Peyt," he shot back hotly. "It's pretty obvious where you've been and who you have been with for the past two years."

"I've been with you, Nathan!" she cried. "Every single second of the past two years, I have spent with you in my heart. I'm a coward, Nate, but I'm tired of being afraid. Going back to Luke was easy. Staying away from you…that was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. I can't do it anymore."

"Peyton," he warned, his voice wavering. He couldn't handle it if she gave him this much only to pull away in the next breath.

"I won't do it anymore," she whispered harshly. She turned and looked at him intently, green burning into blue.

He softened at her adamant declaration. "Babe, what are you saying?"

Hearing his high school nickname for her was enough to send Peyton over the edge. "I love you, Nathan Scott," she murmured. "I am in love with you."


	12. Chapter 12

"I love you, Nathan," Peyton repeated as he pulled the car off onto the shoulder of the highway. Trucks sped past them, slightly rocking the silent vehicle. She held her breath as she waited for him to respond, to say anything. Nathan finally turned to her with a blank stare. "Nate…"

He interrupted her with a keep kiss, capturing her bottom lip with his in a mold move of passion. He cupped her beautiful face in his hands delicately and twisted one of those delicious blonde girls around his index finger. After a few moments, Nathan pulled away and rested his forehead against hers. She looked at him, her eyes wavering as she tried to look into both of his eyes at once. "I love you, too, Peyt," he retorted finally, intertwining her small hand in his. "This moment – it's everything that the last two years have been about. For all those days and weeks and months, it's all that I have ever wanted."

"Then why didn't you come for me?" she asked desperately. "Why didn't you answer the phone when I called."

"Because I was scared to hear that you were getting married to Lucas or how you had moved on or about the incredible life I was missing out on with you," he answered honestly. "I could never move on. I played ball and was a good father because those were the only things I could do to keep my mind off of you. And then, even that really became about you, about us. I wondered if you would be proud of me or how the picture would be different if you were in it. Everything that I wanted to happen between us…I could make up this story in my head and suddenly there you were. It's the only way I could fall asleep on all those restless nights without you in my arms."

"Oh, Nate," she murmured inaudible as she kissed him again. Her phone rang from her handbag again but she ignored it. She knew it was Lucas, but as always when she was with Nathan, it was easy to forget that there was anything else but this.

Nathan broke the kiss again and searched her green eyes for an answer. Given the chance, he was pretty sure he could find the meaning of life in those foggy olive orbs. "Well, where do we go from here?"

"I don't know," she shrugged. "Where do we go?"

"I'd like to take you to my favorite place in the city," he told her as she laced her hand in his once again. His long fingers wrapped around hers as he pulled the car back onto the highway. They sat silently, comfortably together in the car as Nathan navigated her black convertible toward an annex road that eventually turned to dirt a couple miles off the main highway. They were heading down a long driveway with a canopy of trees overhead within a few minutes. As he pulled the car around the final turn, a sprawling beach house with a white picket fence unfolded in front of them.

Peyton turned to him with a dropped jaw. "It's amazing." She looked at the house. With a wrap-around porch and a small dock, it reminded her of his beach house back in Tree Hill. As soon as the car was in park, she was on her feet, sprinting toward the stone path. She stopped at the picket fence, running her hand across the smooth white finish of the gate. Peyton turned and looked back him over her shoulder. The sight reminded him of that photograph he had been carrying around with him for so long. "A white picket fence."

"I remember," he said with a bright smile. Peyton had once told him in great detail about her dream house. It had been a silly dream for a sixteen-year-old in love with someone like the boy Nathan had been junior year. However, in all those years that had passed, he had never forgotten that night in her room. As the rain pounded against the window pane, they had shared all their secrets and dreams and fears in the dark until there were none left to tell. Of all of them, this was the one that he had always carried with him. He had promised himself that night that if he ever got the money, he would find a way to make that dream come true. Even if they weren't together, he had vowed to give her that much. Considering the guy he'd been, he'd known even then the impact that night had on his life. "I remembered when we talked about our dreams all those years ago. This is the home I always imagined we would share."

Peyton grinned sappily at him before running the rest of the way up to the house. She paced the perimeter, inspecting everything with a huge grin on her beautiful face. Then, she saw it – the front door slightly ajar. Just like she'd always kept the front door unlocked for him when they were together, he had left this one open for her. Her hand rested on the chrome door knob as she laughed and shook her head.

"Go ahead," he prodded her as she pressed it open. He left his bag at the bottom of the front steps, making a mental note to come after it in awhile. Once inside the living room, she turned in a circle and took everything in. He silently grabbed her hand and pulled her upstairs. Her face lit up as soon as she saw the bedroom. It was beautiful, with plush white lines and a wrought-iron bed he'd known she would love. On the tall bureau stood only two photographs in matching elegant frames – a black and white photograph of them on the beach from junior year and another black and white snapshot of them lying in bed together from their night two years ago.

With tears in her eyes, she turned to him. "It's perfect, Nate." He quickly shortened the distance between them and embraced her briefly. He reached out and pulled open the top drawer of the dresser and looked into her eyes. "I've lost you more times than I would care to remember, but this feeling," he told her, taking her hand and pressing it over his pounding heart, "the love has never left us. You gave this back to me when you broke up with me but I never got rid of it. I kept it the pair of socks I wore the first time we slept together, tucked in the back of my dresser."

Peyton shook her head in disbelief as Nathan slipped the silver necklace around her neck. "How did you do all of this?"

"I got a pretty big signing bonus when I started with the Bobcats," he confessed. "Haley never really knew about it. I wanted to use this money for something that could be all mine…all ours. I bought this house last year and had it completely renovated. I never knew if you would come back to me, Peyt, but I sure hoped."

She leaned up on her tiptoes and kissed him before moving to nibble on his earlobe like she knew that he loved. "Nathan Scott, I can't believe you," she whispered, reveling in the sensual little shiver she elicited from his body. "I think I might love you."

"Hmm, I remember hearing that once, but I don't think there is really any uncertainty about it anymore, Babe," he teased as he slid his hands down to rest on her hips. "I know that we still have to talk about that day. We have to talk about Lucas and Haley. There is still a lot to this story left to be told."

Peyton nodded against his chest as she tucked her head under his chin and wrapped her arms around his strong torso. It suddenly felt safe to breathe again. "I know. I will tell you everything, Nate, as long as you promise not to let go."

Nathan lifted her chin with his index finger and gazed at her soulfully. "I'm not going anywhere, Peyton," he promised. "If you say that you will be my life, I will do my best to make certain that we never lose us again. Wherever I go, I won't go without you."


	13. Chapter 13

Nathan took Peyton by the hand and led her downstairs to sit at the small table in the breakfast nook of the spacious kitchen. "You sit here," he instructed her as he pulled out a chair for her. He walked deliberately to the chair across from her. He needed to put as much distance between them as possible if they were going to have any real chance at a conversation right now. Everything in him was screaming to take her back upstairs, but this was too important to fall back into old habits. Sliding into his seat, he allowed himself the luxury of stretching out across the table to grasp her fingers. "Alright, I want you to tell me what happened that day at the coffee shop with Lucas."

Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, Peyton was nervous to tell Nathan what had really happened when she had run into his brother. No one had ever heard this side of the story. "Lucas showed up in L.A. to surprise me. Things between us had been off and on for awhile, you know that," she told him. "When I ran into him that morning, I knew what I had to do. As much as I hated breaking his heart, I couldn't be with him after we spent that night together. I knew that I was in love with you, and I couldn't give Lucas all of me if the biggest part of my heart was with you."

"But I saw the two of you," he shook his head. It still didn't quite add up. "You looked happy to see him. He kissed you on the forehead."

"Yeah, Nate, I was relieved when Luke showed up because I knew that I would get the chance to tell him in person that we couldn't be together," she retorted, squeezing his hand for emphasis. "I knew that things between him and I couldn't really be over unless I did it person. That day was the last time I saw him for more than a year. We didn't get back together until that summer when I went to visit Brooke in Tree Hill. You and Haley were gone on that long vacation in Italy with Jamie. I thought that you were happy, that you had moved on."

Nathan remembered his time in Italy as two of the least happy weeks of his entire life. It seriously ranked right up there with the endless free throws Dan had imposed on him that summer before eighth grade. "Haley surprised me with the trip for my birthday. We spent the entire time pretending that we were happy when Jamie was awake and fighting while he was asleep."

"I tried to love Lucas, I really did," she promised fruitlessly. "I wanted to make him happy because he deserved that much from me. I know that he gave up two other women who really loved him just at the chance of a future with me. I've always said that everyone leaves. I didn't want to leave him, and honestly, after losing you, I couldn't let him be another person who left me."

He brought her fingertips up to his lips and brushed a gentle kiss over each knuckle. "I never left you, Peyt," he vowed. "Even when I wasn't with you, I never left you."

A crooked smile played on her pert pink lips as her eyes met his. "So that is what happened that day, Nate," she shrugged. "I didn't pretend as if nothing happened. Even after Luke and I got back together, we both knew that something was different. He just didn't know that you were what was different."

"Do you know what happened that day when I got back to Tree Hill?"

Peyton looked down at where their hands were entwined on top of the table. Lucas had finally told her about his one-night stand with Haley about six months ago. She had finally mustered the courage to ask about Nathan, and he had had to admit why they never talked anymore. Lucas had cried for awhile after he told her, both for the best friend and the brother than he had lost. She had tried to console him, but mostly she just thought about how that was their punishment. It was karma getting back at her and Nathan for their own indiscretion. "Luke slept with Haley."

"I was so distraught after I left you. I wandered around the city for awhile until it was time to go to the airport. I wanted a drink so bad on the flight but knew that was probably a good reason why I shouldn't," he remembered. "I had told myself that if I couldn't be with you, I was going to have to make my marriage with Haley work. I wanted to give Jamie that."

"You're a good father, Nate," she assured him. "I don't blame you for wanting that for your son."

He smiled at her gratefully for understanding. It wasn't that he had moved on from Peyton. It was just that he had done what he had to do for his son. "I knew that something was off as soon as I got into the house. There were empty bottle beers and a lipstick-stained shot glass in the kitchen. I literally followed a trail of vodka and whiskey bottles to my bedroom. I figured that Brooke had come over to keep Haley company while I was gone. Instead, I walked in on my brother tangled in my bed with my wife."

She couldn't imagine what it would have been like to walk in on that. "I'm sorry."

"That's what they said," he laughed humorlessly. "I wasn't really mad at them. I hated that I would have to know the truth and Haley never would. I hated Lucas because I thought he had your heart still. I hated Haley for not being you. I hated myself for not having enough courage to say that I wasn't happy. I hated everything about it."

"But you were able to forgive her," she pointed out. "You guys worked through it."

Nathan shook his head sadly. "No, we just stopped fighting about it," he corrected her. "Haley and I don't care enough to fight for each other anymore. Our marriage is over. Both of us are just too afraid to admit it."

"I know the feeling," she commiserated. "Luke and I have been at an impasse for awhile now. I think he loves the idea of me more than he actually loves me, you know. It's like he is trying to make me fit this image of who he thinks I should be. It wasn't good enough that time in Vegas when I asked him to wait. He wanted me to be this perfect little wife now."

There was a certain kind of cruel symmetry to Peyton's situation with Lucas and Nathan's marriage to Haley. "Haley needed me to be a different kind of man for her to fall in love with me. She needed me to be Lucas. She wanted to fall in love with someone like her best friend. A part of me was always waiting for the moment when she would wake up and realize that," he confessed. "I never felt like that with you though, Peyt. I knew that you loved me in spite of and because of who I am. If you could love the guy I was at sixteen, I knew that you really had to love me."

"I did," she agreed before smiling into his deep blue eyes. "I do."

"I do too," he promised as he leaned across the table to meet her in a kiss. She turned her head slightly to deepen the moment before he pulled back and returned to his seat. "So what do we do now?"

"We do what we should have done two years ago," she answered as she slipped from the chair. She came over and knelt in front of Nathan so that they were at eye level. "We're going to tell them the truth. I'm not afraid anymore, Nate. I want this, I want you."

Nathan reached down and pulled her into his lap so that he could just feel the weight of her against him. That feeling, the one that had meant so much that night, was finally back. "We'll tell them the truth," he concurred. "You'll break your engagement. I'll file my divorce. And then…"

Peyton could tell him that they should take it one day at a time. She could talk about how they needed time to figure out what was happening as everything was unfolding so quickly. She should respect his marriage with Haley enough to give him time to be sure that he wanted this. However, she had already wasted two years without him. She wouldn't make that same mistake twice. "I'll move back to Tree Hill. You can't leave Jamie, and I can't leave you," she answered. "This house will be our secret escape."

"Well, that sounds like a pretty good end to our story, but I have a better idea."

"Oh, yeah, and what's that, Nathan Royal Scott?"

"After the breakup and after the divorce, say you'll spend the rest of your life with me," he suggested. "I want you to be my wife. Peyton Elizabeth Sawyer, will you marry me?"


	14. Chapter 14

Peyton sat on Nathan's lap completely stunned. She hadn't expected Nathan to propose to her. She wasn't even sure that she wanted him to yet. Finally, her eyes met his in disbelief. "No."

"What?"

"Nate, we're not ready for that," she pointed out as she turned in his arms and wrapped her arms around his neck. "We can be together without getting married. I love you more than you know, but there are so many things we need to work out first."

"Like what?" he questioned. "We're going to talk to Luke and Hales. You said that you would move back home."

She nodded slowly, conceding his point. "But where are we going to live?" she asked. "You can't kick Haley out of the house, and my dad sold our house when we left Tree Hill. I still have to figure out what I am going to do about work. The label is here."

"So you will start your own label, Peyt. You've always wanted to do that anyhow," he suggested. "Or you could just get back to do your art, whatever is going to make you happy. I'll support anything you want to do as long as you come home to me."

"Then, there's Jamie."

"Jamie will love you," he professed confidently. "I know the divorce is going to be hard on him, but Haley and I love our son. We'll do everything we can to make this alright for him."

"He's going to need more time than that, Nate," she argued. "You and Haley are still married. Technically, I am still with his Uncle Luke. Jamie doesn't know that everything has changed. His world still seems perfect."

Nathan loved her so much for being concerned about his son. It told him everything he needed to know about Peyton's place in Jamie's life. "Technicality, Babe," he waved her off. "We can deal with those things. As long as we're together, we can deal with anything."

"When did you get to be such an eternal optimist?" she laughed. "You almost make me believe that anything is possible."

He reached up and kissed the tip of her cute button nose. "I see right through you, Peyton Sawyer," he boasted. "You pretend to be this emo loner who doesn't believe in things like forever, but I know you do. I know you belong. I know that because you belong to me, with me." She smiled against his lips as she kissed him yet again. There was something so irresistible about a man whose heart was completely open to her. "Just tell me that you'll marry me."

"I want to marry you, Nathan," she murmured as he ran his arms over her back. "That has to be enough for now. I can't say yes, not yet."

"That's enough for me," he said as he leapt to his feet, sweeping her up with him. He pulled her into a long and fulfilling kiss, the kind where Peyton temporarily lost any sense of where she was or what was happening to her. "For now."

"For now," she repeated as he caught her in another kiss, this one deeper. Nathan felt all the breath rush from his body as she her fingers wove into the dark locks at the nape of his neck. After a few minutes, Peyton forced herself to pull away. "I want to be with you, like now." Nathan smirked cockily at her insistence. "I just don't want our first time here to be like this. When we're together here, I want it to be as your wife."

He nodded as if he understood. Honestly, he didn't really understand why Peyton wanted to save this place, but if that was what she wanted, he would give it to her. "Your place or the hotel?"

"My place is closer," she said breathlessly as he left a trail of kisses along her jaw and down his neck. His hands drifted beneath the hem of her shirt, gently caressing the warm curves of her hips. "Car. Now."

The two managed to make it across the city to her loft in record time. With his bags still in the car and her keys in hand, Nathan pressed Peyton against the wall of the elevator as they continued to makeout like two desperate adolescents. Once the bell dinged for her floor, he pulled away from her just enough to carry her down the hall toward her door. Setting her back to her feet, he pressed her against the door and resumed his ravenous exploration of her mouth. Her hands tangled in his hair as she drove him closer to her hungrily.

After Nathan managed to navigate the key into the lock behind her without breaking the kiss, Peyton bumped the door open with her hip. Their lips were still interlocked as they danced backward toward her bedroom. Never once losing contact, they fell together into a heap on the plush down comforter. As a voice called out her name, Nathan sat straight up and Peyton looked in shock to a chair in the corner.

"Peyton," the voice greeted them. "Nathan."


	15. Chapter 15

Nathan sat silently, listening as his name reverberated over and over again in his head. Looking up at Peyton, he could read the panic stricken across her solemn face. Only a flicker of determination was evident in her emerald eyes. He grabbed her hand as she rolled off him and leaned back on her knees next to him. "Hey, Luke."

"Hey, Luke?" he chuckled humorlessly. "You really look like you're working hard here, Honey. I just had no idea that all that overtime you were putting in was underneath my brother. I have to admit, I didn't see that one coming."

Squeezing her hand comfortingly, Nathan tried to let Peyton know that he was still there. He was there to be her strength. "Maybe we should talk about this, Lucas," he suggested evenly. Really, he just wanted to punch the biting sarcasm from his brother's stoic features, but hating Lucas was a big reason Peyton had left him the first time. He had vowed not to repeat the same mistakes.

"You know, funny you should say that," Lucas retorted as his gaze met his brothers. "It sounds exactly like what Haley said that night you walked in on us together. We just wanted you to hear us out, but you couldn't do that, Little Brother. I guess you eventually listened to Hales though, didn't you? I mean, the two of you _are_ still married. Too bad you couldn't extend that same courtesy to your own brother."

Peyton looked in fear between the two brothers. She had been apart of too many Tree Hill triangles for her liking. It had started with Lucas and Nathan all those years ago, but she was determined to make sure that ended here tonight. She was taking herself out of the equation. "Lucas, come on, will you just hear me out?"

He shook his head in disbelief. "Peyton, my love, we have talked ourselves to death over the years. I think it's pretty clear what's going on here," he spat angrily. "He's an ass, you're a slut and I'm a moron. Well and a bastard. Isn't that right, Nate?"

"Don't call her that," Nathan warned. His voice was dark and conjured up the overprotective boyfriend who had been by Peyton's side at the beginning of junior year. A guy could look at her wrong, and he would be ready to pound his head into the cement until he bled. She couldn't help but flinch a little bit, something that didn't go unnoticed by Nathan. He adjusted his tone, softening his voice and bringing down the volume to a more appropriate level. "I understand you're angry, but if you want to blame someone here, blame me. I'm the one who came looking for her."

"No, that's not true," Peyton insisted. She was an equal part in this mess. "It's just as much my fault as it his is."

"Isn't that cute, stand by your man and all that," Lucas spewed sarcastically. "Save it, Peyton. I'm not interested in whose fault it is this time. I don't care anymore."

She lowered her eyes and tried to keep the tears from falling. She wasn't crying over losing Lucas. She was weeping because she knew she had broken his heart. Haley and Nathan had had 'forever and always.' She had let Lucas think she was his forever. "I'm sorry, Luke," she apologized softly. "I know you don't believe that but I am."

"When, Peyt? When did it come to this?"

"It's been over for months, you know that as well as I do," she answered honestly. "We barely ever see each other anymore, and when we do, all we do is fight. You get angry at me, accusing me of something that we both know is true."

Lucas had always suspected that Peyton was in love with someone else, but he had never once considered that other person could be his brother. He'd always thought maybe it was Jake, the great guy that got away. He had never seen her falling for Nathan Scott in a million years. "So, you do love him?"

"Lucas, I love you too," she said softly. "Just in a different way."

"This is it, you know that, right?" he cautioned her. "No coming back to me when he breaks your heart. No friendship. Nothing."

"I understand," she retorted as tears spilled from her eyes. Even though the love had left long ago, remnant of a once-strong friendship remained underneath. It killed her to lose it, to walk away from Lucas, but she knew that it had to be done. More than it hurt her, however, it killed her that she had taken it away from Lucas and Nathan.

Nathan brushed his thumb over her knuckles before regarding his brother. "Luke…"

"I'm not interested, Nate. It's over. This, us, the whole thing, it's over. For good," he stated calmly as he gathered himself and walked toward the door. He looked back at them sadly and shook his head. "What about Hales? I don't understand how either of you could do this to her, especially when you know how much it hurts to have it done to you."

"We're going to tell her," Nathan told him. "Please, don't say anything until we get to talk to her."

"Oh, you can believe that I am not going to say anything to Haley about this," Lucas grimaced. He knew how this was going to affect his best friend and his nephew, and he refused to be the bearer of that news. "I'm not going to break her heart for you. You're going to have to do that all on your own." He looked at them again, long and hard, wanting to cement this moment in his head in case he regretted his words later.

Without a goodbye, Nathan and Peyton listened as Lucas slammed the door to her loft shut behind him. Still gripping his hand, she looked up at Nathan sadly. "Well, that's over."

"One down, one to go," he replied before wiping a stray tear from her soft cheek and looking into her eyes. "Are you okay?"

Peyton nodded as she rested her face in his outstretched palm. "It was just hard."

"Yeah," he agreed, "but one good thing came out of all this."

"Yeah?"

"One less thing is in the way for us now."

Peyton cocked her head to the side and looked at Nathan. Suddenly, her face lit up as she broke out into a huge grin of realization. "Oh, yeah."

"So, what's next then, Peyt?"

She rolled back on top of him, straddling his middle with her legs on either side. Her hands covered his as they rested on her jean-clad hips. "Babe," she whispered as she captured his mouth in a passionate, heartfelt kiss. "I think I'm ready for that picket fence now."


	16. Chapter 16

Two days later, Peyton was tucked into the passenger seat of Nathan's sleek black SUV, quietly making her way along the familiar roads of downtown Tree Hill. It felt like it had been an entire lifetime since she had seen this place sometimes, but as Nathan reached across the console to clutch her hand, she was instantly sixteen again. "What's going on inside that pretty head of yours?" Nathan asked as he slowed down at a railroad crossing and waited for a bright yellow and red freight train to pass. He glanced at her sideways and raked his free hand through his dark tresses nervously. "You've been really quiet since we got off the plane. Nervous?"

She nodded her head silently before looking up to meet his gaze. The reassurance she saw in his shining blue eyes was enough to save her. "I don't have to go with you to talk to Haley if you don't want to. I know that this is going to be hard enough with out me there," she murmured. He smiled at her softly, sending a delicious chill up her backbone. She had come to really treasure that over the pat couple days. "I don't want to put any pressure on you, Nate."

"You're making it easier on me, Peyt," avowed before bringing her hand up to his lips to kiss her fingertips. "I hate that this is going to hurt Haley just as much as I hate that it's already hurt Luke…but the longer we wait, the more it's going to hurt her. I lied to her two years ago when I told her that I wanted to make our marriage work. I held her one-night stand with Lucas against her, even if I tried to forgive her years ago. She didn't deserve that, and she doesn't deserve this. Despite all that, she has to hear it from both of us. She has to know that we're really together."

Peyton felt guilty. Haley didn't deserve this anymore than Luke had. One night two years ago between the two mismatched couples was forgivable, but falling in love her husband was not. "I don't want to be there when you tell Jamie. It's not my place."

"I agree. It's going to be confusing for him, but you are going to be an important part of his life. He is going to know you. He is going to love you. I know that I already do. And the fact that you want to put my son first, before what you want and what you feel," he shook his head in disbelief. "God, Peyton, you have no idea how sexy that makes you. I could love you for the rest of my life just for that."

"Oh, really?" she arched a perfectly plucked blonde eyebrow before leaning across the seat to meet Nathan's mouth for a brief kiss. He quickly tangled his fingers in her curls and drew her closer to him. They had been like this for the entire forty-eight hours they had been together. As soon as she would pull back from his arms, he would always feel her absence immediately. Just as she did, Peyton saw a familiar rush of auburn curls pass by the window. "So, Karen just saw us."

"I'm sure she already knows," Nathan said dismissively before planting another kiss on her lips. He knew how close his brother was to his mother. He had often envied their relationship, especially considering the lack of one with his own parents. While he had absolutely no idea how his mother would take his new relationship with Peyton, his father would probably like it. He'd never fully warmed up to Haley and had long held his former flame over her head. The old Nathan would have seen that as a reason to stay with Haley. This version of Nathan just didn't care. "I can't wait to show you my surprise for you later."

She beamed at him brightly. "You already bought us a beach house in L.A.," she replied. "We could have just lived in an apartment or something here. You're going to be paying off the mortgage on Haley's house for a long time. I'm not going to have a lot of money while I'm starting my label, so I don't want you to take care of me or anything."

"Would you just let someone take care of you for once, Sawyer?" he asked. He had always had to fight to do anything for her, and now that he could give her anything, he refused to hold back. "I am in love with you. I want to give you the best that life has to offer. I promise that this place isn't ostentatious. We need somewhere to live. Just let me do this for you."

Peyton nodded obligingly as Nathan turned on his turn signal and started up one of the more lush streets of Tree Hill. She studied the beautiful homes on their sprawling estates, remembering when she used to drive through the neighborhood when she was in high school and dream about when Nathan would buy one for their family once he hit it big in the NBA. He slowed down and turned into a driveway. Her green eyes went wide as she looked up at the spacious Colonial. She could see Haley's matching SUV in the open garage and a swing hanging from a tree off the back deck. "This is your home?"

Nathan looked at her and shook his head before taking her hand again. "No, this is my home," he told her as he pressed their clasped hands over her pounding heart. "Whatever happens in there, nothing changes that."

"I love you, Nathan Scott," she whispered, squeezing his hand before regretfully letting it go. Before getting out of the car, she pulled out her cell phone and dialed a number she knew would eventually fade from her memory. When she heard Lucas' voicemail pick up, she left a message that she had been planning in her mind all day. "Hey, it's Peyton. We're getting ready to tell Haley. I thought you would want to know so that you could check on her. She's always been your best friend, and we both know there was a reason you went to her two years ago. Maybe that reason is still there. I'll see you, Luke."

"That was nice," Nathan told her as he helped her out of the passenger seat and headed up the front path. He usually just went in through the garage but knew that this place wasn't really his home anymore. He had called ahead and asked Deb to pick Jamie up for the day. He let go of Peyton's hand and reached up to knock on the door. "Here we go."

A few moments later, Peyton and Nathan were welcomed to the sound of pounding footsteps. A distracted Haley pulled open the door, her eyes wide with excitement at the sight of her husband. She threw her arms around Nathan in greeting before seeing the nervous blonde figure behind him. Darkness washed over features at the sight of Peyton. "What are you doing here?"

Nathan pulled back from Haley "Hales, we need to talk."

She held up her hand and took a few steps back. She knew then why they were there. She had known when he had left Tree Hill that he was going to see her. Haley had just hoped that it had something to do with Lucas. Any other reason than the one truth he had kept from her and she had willingly kept from herself. "I cannot believe you would bring her here to our home."

"Your home," he said gently. "This isn't my home anymore."

"After all of this, Nate, really? We got past everything – your parents, the drinking, the injuries, the NBA, being in high school, the affairs. You even forgave me for Luke."

"No, I didn't, not really," he confessed. "Hales, come on, you know that I never fully let go of it. I should have been able to forgive you if I loved you the way I said I did – the way that you've loved me. I am so sorry that I didn't. I was selfish and I didn't want to let you go. I should have let you be with Luke. That's where you belong. He has always loved you like you deserve. He's what you need."

Tears started to roll down Haley's porcelain cheeks. There would have been a time when it was Nathan that would reach up to wipe them away, but now, Haley was left to brush them away herself. "You love her, don't you?"

"Yes, I do."

"Get out."

"Haley," Peyton attempted. "Just hear him out."

"Don't you tell me how to deal with my husband," Haley warned her. "You did this. You don't get to say what happens next."

Nathan turned to leave but stopped in the doorway. If he was going to tell her, he had to tell her everything. "There's something else."

"Nate, maybe we shouldn't…" Peyton started to say as her eyes met Nathan's. She nodded slightly. She understood exactly why he needed to do this. So much, in fact, that she was willing to take the hit herself. Brushing past Nathan, she stood toe-to-toe with the only person in the world who had loved both of the Scott brothers besides her. "That day you spent with Luke…Nate was with me in LA. the night before. It was only one night and we hadn't spoken until last week since then. Nathan stayed away from me for you and Jamie. Can you say the same thing for you and Luke?"

Haley reached out and shoved Peyton completely out of her door before slamming it shut. Peyton stood there stunned for a moment before turning around and running straight into Nathan's open arms. He couldn't help but wrap his arms around her and want to comfort her right there. "Why don't you get in the car?" he whispered. "I'll be right there."

Peyton disappeared back toward the car before Nathan knocked on the door and let himself into the foyer. Haley was sitting on the bottom step, clutching Jamie's favorite fleece blanket. He came over and sat next to her. "Haley, neither of us have been happy for a long time."

"You didn't even try," she pointed out. "We could have figured this out."

"Hales, you were never going to be her," he shook his head. "Just like I'm never going to be Luke."

Covering her face with her small hands, Haley prayed that Nate would reach for her fingers and hold them comfortingly just as he had so many times. When he didn't, she knew that she would have to accept that it was over. "I want to hate you, Nathan," she said bitterly, "but I won't. I can't. We still have Jamie."

"We'll tell him together," he promised. "We'll make it okay for him."

She wanted to ask him how they were supposed to do that when she couldn't even make it okay for herself. Instead, she nodded resolutely and stood up before padding over to pull open the front door. She yanked it open and waited wordlessly to leave. Nathan took one last sad look around their house and slipped out the front entry. He passed Lucas as he made his way toward the car. "Lucas." Nathan wasn't surprised when his curt greeting was met with icy silence. However, when he looked back at the front porch, he was relieved to see his brother holding a sobbing Haley in his arms. It was strange that was the moment when he knew. It was the moment when he was sure that everything was going to be okay.


	17. Chapter 17

Peyton was lying in bed at the hotel where she had been staying with Nathan since they had come back to Tree Hill the day before. While his days were spent at the basketball court conditioning or playing with Jamie at the park, she had found herself alone for more hours than she would care to count. It wasn't that Nathan was ignoring her; in fact, every spare minute he had was spent with her. He made her feel so incredibly loved sometimes that it literally ached whenever he was absent. She knew that she would have to resume her life as scheduled eventually and learn to stand on her own without missing him again, but for now, she was perfectly happy playing the lovesick woman just waiting for her man to return.

She turned on her side as she turned the page in her sketchbook. She had been working on the hand-drawn scrapbook pretty steadily for the last few days. Peyton was planning on giving it to Nathan as part of her housewarming gift to him when they moved into the place he had picked out. He still hadn't told her anything about the house, insisting that it remain a secret until everything was ready. Peyton promised that she didn't care where they lived as long as there was a big bed that they could share. As she retraced the outline of Nathan's form on the sketch from the day he first arrived back in her life, she heard the door to their suite open and close again.

Without looking up, Peyton shifted over in the bed to give him plenty of room. It was barely eight in the morning, but he had already put in three hours of practice this morning. He would disappear into the early hours to go to the gym, only to return and lay with her for a couple hours until they dared to venture into the real world in search of entertainment and sustenance.

Nathan shed his clothes quickly in the path from the door to the bed. He sighed heavily as he slipped behind Peyton and entwined his strong arms around her slender frame. He pushed the book to the side, forcing her to drop her pencil. Peyton turned around in his arms and searched his blue eyes. She could feel that something was off immediately. "What is it, Babe?" she asked with concern as he traced his fingertips over the curves of her face.

Pressing his forehead to hers, he held her gaze for a long moment. "We talked to Jamie this morning," he answered before pulling her closer to him. He just needed to feel Peyton. He needed to know that she was there for him and that everything was going to be alright. "Haley cried a little. Jamie asked a lot of questions, mostly about you. I don't know that he really understands. He's still so young, you know? Haley was great about it. I shouldn't be surprised. She's always been a really good mom. I don't know, I guess it was just harder on me than I thought it would be."

She wanted to tell him that she could make everything better, but that would be a lie. She couldn't take away the guilt that Nathan felt in his heart over the situation anymore than she could help that they had fallen in love with each other. "What can I do?"

"Just love me," he implored softly as he pressed his face into her shoulder. He couldn't stand to let her see him cry. However, Peyton was insistent that he wasn't going to hide from her. If she was going to let him help her, he was going to have to let her do the same thing. Tears shone in her wide eyes as she tilted his chin so that their gazes locked again. "Haley said that you could spend some time with Jamie and me next week. Will you come to the River Court with us?"

"I told you that I would follow you anywhere, Nate," she reminded him. She rolled over so that he was beneath her and the entire length of her body covered his. His hands held her steady atop his torso. There was nothing sexual about the maneuver. It was completely intimate. He felt like she was his protective shield, willing to take anything that came from the outside world. "Maybe we'll have our house by then."

A wry grin played across his lips as his ocean blue eyes became alit with determination. "Actually, it's ready now," he revealed. "If I can drag you out of this bed to take a shower, we can head over there right away."

"Anything to see me wet and naked," she teased as he rolled out from beneath her and led her toward the bathroom. The two of them stepped into the walk-in shower together. Peyton set to washing her hair while Nathan washed the remains of his morning practice off his skin. "Did you talk to Haley alone?"

Nathan glanced at her over his shoulder as he rubbed soap over his forearms. "Not really," he replied. "Apparently, she got the papers that my dad's lawyer sent over. She was mostly just quiet. She told me that she would have her end taken care of by the end of the week. She just wanted to discuss a few things with Lucas."

Peyton's curiosity was sparked at the mention of her former boyfriend but decided not to comment on it. She was mostly just happy that the divorce proceedings were under way. Nathan and Peyton had gone to talk to Deb and Dan after Karen had seen them together. They didn't want his parents to hear it from anyone else other than her. Deb had been quiet, her only concern for Jamie. Dan had been more vocally supportive, offering to help Nathan take care of the legalities of ending his marriage to Haley. Peyton had chosen not to question his motives and Nathan didn't really care. He needed it taken care of, and if his father was willing to make sure it happened, it was fine with him at this point.

"We should probably call Brooke," she told him as he wiped a sponge over her back. He dropped a kiss on her bare shoulder as she turned around to return the favor. "She doesn't even know that I'm not in L.A."

The two of them finished their shower quickly, delayed only slightly by the makeout session Nathan initiated as he pretended to help her dry off. Once they were wrapped in fluffy robes and sprawled across the bed together, Peyton dialed Brooke's number in New York and waited for her best friend's voice to fill the speaker. "B. Davis!"

"Peyt and Nate, my two favorite people," she giggled before muffling the receiver. "Mouth says hi."

"Tell him we said hello," Nathan replied with a wide grin. He loved how Brooke's high school prophecy in the fated time capsule ended up coming true. Although they weren't married and Mouth just ran one of the local offices of a New York senator, the two of them were still the happiest people Nathan knew. After the disaster that was her relationship with Lucas and all of the turmoil Brooke went through those last few years, she deserved that. Mouth was the only one Nathan had ever seen truly love Brooke with all her flaws, for all the right reasons, in the right way. "So, we're in Tree Hill."

"Together," Peyton added as Nathan kissed her cheek, "For good."

"And you told Luke and Haley?"

"They know everything," Nathan promised. "Hales and I told Jamie this morning. My parents know. Everything is out in the open. We're going to look at a house today."

On the other end of the line, Brooke grinned up at Mouth as he worked away at his laptop next to her. She was no longer part of the Tree Hill Bermuda Love Triangles. It had been hard for her to keep the secret about Peyton and Nathan for such a long time, especially when she valued her friendships with Lucas and Haley. However, Peyton had been her best friend long before she had known the other two existed. Her loyalty would always first and foremost lay with the curly blonde. And just like her best friend, Nathan had been there before she was aware that there was a Broody and there was a Tutor Girl. "I'm happy for you, P. Sawyer," she told her best friend happily. "You too, Boy Toy."

"Thank you, Brooke," Nathan said as he looked down at Peyton. He still couldn't believe he had gotten the girl. She was his. "Not just for that but for everything."

"Just take care of our girl, eh?" she told him before hanging up.

Peyton laughed as Nathan reached over to punch the button to end the call and whispered, "I will."

"Hey, Nate?"

"Yeah, Peyt?"

"After the house, after meeting Jamie, after the divorce is final," she murmured as she came closer to him, "What do you say, Nathan Scott? Will you marry me?"

"I thought I already asked that question."

"And now I'm asking."

A surprised smile lit up his face. He would never get over how randomly beautiful Peyton could be. "And now I'm saying yes," he answered. "I can't wait to marry you, Peyton Sawyer."


	18. Chapter 18

"Nathan Royal Scott, you better take this blindfold off me right this minute!" Peyton demanded impatiently, tugging fruitlessly on the sturdy knot keeping the blue bandana over her sea green eyes. He smiled at her frustrated little sigh as Peyton threw her hands in the air before throwing herself back in the seat of the SUV. "Would you at least give me a clue?"

He chuckled greedily as he glanced sidelong at his passenger. He reached over the console and grabbed her hand. "You have to trust me, Peyt," he declared before turning his luxury vehicle onto a familiar street leading them to their final destination. It had taken a little maneuvering and a little more money to get this place, but thanks to a surprisingly willing Dan, Nathan had managed to get exactly what he wanted. "Besides, if you know before we get there, I am going to miss the look in your eyes when to realize how incredible I am. Trust me, you will be amazed."

"You are so cocky," she shot back as a slow smile slid across her lips. Peyton moved closer to Nathan on the bench seat. Nathan managed to negotiate the steering wheel and keep a firm grip on her slim waist at the same time. After a minute, he reached forward and flipped on the radio. Peyton smiled as she started to hum along to the acoustic ballad, her sweet voice filling the cab of the SUV. "Are you telling me that you don't listen to rap anymore?"

"Oh, no, I still listen to it all the time, especially when I work out," he countered. Music had long been a point of contention between him and the fiery blonde. She was always trying to get him to expand his tastes. "Although, I've come to realize that not everything you tried to get me to listen to back then wasn't so bad. I guess I should listen to you a little more." Peyton had stopped singing, causing him to turn his head to look down at her. "Hey, Peyt?"

The truck slowed down to stop at a red light, and Nathan turned to tilt her chin so that she was looking in the right direction. She turned her head instinctively to rest in his palm. "Yeah?"

"I love you," he murmured, reaching down to frame her face. He lifted her fingers to his smooth cheeks, the pads of her thumbs chasing over his jaw. She tilted her mouth up in anticipation as he leaned down to capture her mouth. Her ragged moan was muffled by his lips. "Nice try, Sawyer, but you're not going to find out until we get there."

Crossing her arms over her chest in defeat, Peyton cursed under breath and tried to sooth her racing hormones. She was usually pretty capable of seducing the truth out of Nate, but really, she just wanted to kiss him. "I love you too," she retorted. "How much longer?"

Nathan pulled onto the quiet street and pulled onto the side of the road in front of the picturesque two-story brick house. Lush shrubs lined the path up to the front door, casting a shadowing path along the cement. He threw the car into park before reaching for the knot of the blindfold and lowering it from her eyes. "We're here."

Peyton's eyes widened as she took in the familiar sight in front of her. She gasped inaudibly as she gazed through the window, trying to find her voice. Her eyes drifted to the second story toward the balcony porch and that familiar window. "How did you do this?"

"I have my ways," he answered mysteriously as he jumped from the parked vehicle. He raced around and reached for her hand to drag her out after him. Peyton looked up at the house in amazement, not believing that this was her surprise. "When you told me that you wanted to come home to Tree Hill, I wanted us to come back to the one place where I ever felt like we were really at home."

Peyton's house had been the one place where Nathan had ever felt like he could really just be with her. He wasn't under the watchful eye of his mother or the controlling thumb of his father. He wasn't the cocky basketball star or the most popular guy in school. He wasn't someone with a reputation to live up to or to live down. He was just Peyton Sawyer's, the boy who held her heart and the boy that she loved. They would spend hours in her bed, staring up at the ceiling, just talking. They would make love and dream and make plans. There might have been memories here with Lucas, but they were after them. The memories at the beach house included that night with Brooke, all those fights, his string of one-night stands and the aftermath of Haley. This house was their sanctuary.

Nathan let her into the house. Entangling their hands together, Peyton pulled him toward the staircase that led up to the one place she had missed the most these years away from Tree Hill. The door to her bedroom was closed. "I did a little something," he confessed as he stood in front of it so that she couldn't go in. "I hope that you like it."

Stepping out of the way, Nathan let Peyton go in first. Her built-in shelves still lined the walls. They had been scarily empty the last time she had been here, but now, they were once again filled with her rows upon rows of records. Interspersed throughout were symbols of Nathan's basketball career – various trophies, balls from noteworthy games, medals. She looked up at the shrine, loving that he had managed to entwine their two greatest passions in life. She stopped when she came to the middle shelves. There were framed photographs strategically placed among her records. There was a frame with three photographs – the ones they had taken that night in bed. There was one of Peyton and Brooke back in L.A. and another with Nathan and Jamie at the River Court. There was one empty space in the middle. "What's missing?"

"The photograph of my new family," he answered. "It's for a picture of you, Jamie and me."

"You bought us my house," she smiled. "I thought maybe you'd get the beach house or something. This is so much better."

He came over to her and wrapped his arms around her from behind as he looked up at the shelves. "There were memories of other people there," he admitted. "All the memories I have of this place are just you and me. It was your home for a long time. Now I want it to be our home."

"I love it, Baby," she mused. "I love you."

"If you think you love me now, wait until you open this," he boasted before going to her closet. He returned with two thin wrapped packages. Peyton knew instantly that they were records but couldn't figure out what contributions he could have found lacking her expansive collection. "I know that you don't have these. I had your friend from the label check when she packed these up to ship here. By the way, your car will be here tomorrow."

"Yes!" Peyton cried excitedly. She had missed her car. She still didn't know that Nathan had another surprise coming with the car. He was determined to give her everything she'd ever wanted. With one final smile at him, she tore away the pretty paper to pull out the two records. "I can't believe you remembered."

"This was hard to find. It was an import," he teased her as she flipped over American Analog Set's _Promise of Love_ album. It was the CD that was playing in his truck that night when they fought and he'd kicked her out only to leave her stranded. "I was such an ass to you that night, and I promised myself that if you would ever give me a second chance, I would kiss you the way that you deserved to be kissed with that as the soundtrack."

She remembered the bitter sting of the tears that night, how humiliated she had felt when he had left her. He had apologized and she had forgiven him. That was their pattern back then. He had broken that pattern when he got with Haley, but he had come to really value the idea of loving just one woman when he realized that woman was Peyton. "And this one?"

Nathan took the vintage copy of Bob Seger's _Stranger in Town _and ran his finger over the track listing until it landed on the title he was looking for. It was the seventh song on the album. "This song was playing in the car last week in L.A. when you told me that you loved me. I wasn't sure if you would take it back in the morning. I just knew that we had that night," he explained. "This is our song. 'We've Got Tonight.' It's everything that I feel for you wrapped up in some classic sappy rock ballad."

"Well, I know it's no Snoop, but I quite like it," she smiled. "And we have more than tonight. We have the rest of our lives, Mr. Scott."

"That we do, Peyt," he murmured as he held onto her with everything he had, "That we do."


	19. Chapter 19

"What's going on inside of that pretty head of yours?"

Peyton looked up to the doorway of her bedroom and saw a freshly showered Nathan leaning against the frame, looking just like the boy she had fallen in love with at sixteen. It was their bedroom now. "You," she confessed as she moved over and he came in to sprawl out next to her. "I have something I wanted to give you."

"I already have everything I need," he reminded her with a teasing kiss. "I have your heart after all."

"I'm serious, Nate," she retorted as she leaned over and opened the drawer to the nightstand on her side of the bed. She pulled out the thin package wrapped in delicate tissue paper and held closed by a simple piece of cheap twine. "I made this for you. Actually, I kind of made it for us. I thought that maybe we'd share it with our kids someday, maybe even Jamie."

His blue eyes glittered with amazement as he tore away the paper and pulled out the black leather sketchbook. "The Story of the Cheerleader Princess and the Basketball Prince" was embossed on the outside cover in a fine silver script. He traced the writing carefully before looking up at her. He slowly opened the book and started to flip through the pages. They were filled with hand drawn sketches of the different scenes of their life, from the day they met in grade school up until the wedding he hoped wasn't too far away.

"I drew all of it," she told him proudly as she turned the page to show a vignette of them kissing beside the ocean in California. "I even wrote the story. I thought it would be hard, but I guess it's pretty easy to write a fairytale when you've already lived it."

"Baby, this is amazing," he said with pure wonder, clutching the book to his chest. He never thought he would be the one to be sentimental, but other than her heart and his son, this was the best gift he'd ever received. "When did you have time to do this?"

She smiled as she leaned her head on his shoulder and looked down at a drawing of them at sixteen, standing on the basketball court of Tree Hill High. "I actually started it like a year ago. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it, but I had all these images in my head. I had to do something with them. I had to tell our story," she explained. "I've been working on it pretty much non-stop since you found me again. Whenever you were running or at practice or with Jamie, this was how I passed my time. I wanted to give it to you as a housewarming gift."

He closed the cover and turned to her so that he could kiss her properly. "Thank you so much, Peyton," he murmured. "I can't wait until I can read this to our little girl. I can just see her now with your mess of blonde curls and my blue eyes. She's going to be the second prettiest girl Tree Hill has ever seen."

Without a word, Nathan lifted himself off the bed and padded across the room toward her vanity. He scrounged around in the top drawer before holding up his find in triumphant discovery. Peyton smiled as he came back to her, peeled off her socks and rested her bare feet in his lap. Nathan tapped the bottle or red nail polish against his palm before twisting off the cap. "I never could stand to do this with anyone else," she revealed. "I always thought of it as kind of our thing."

Nathan deliberately brushed the shiny lacquer over her cute toes. He had once made fun of her for her feet, but now, they were just another thing he loved about her. He was making a list of all those little things, and it had grown considerably in the two days they had been living at her old house. Their new house. "So, Haley's lawyer has started the divorce proceedings. It should all be over in a matter of weeks," he announced. "I'm going to give her pretty much everything that she wants. We're going to come to fair terms over Jamie's custody. Other than him, there's not much from that life I want to carry with me."

Peyton knew that there were always going to be old ghosts of relationships past that would haunt them. Tree Hill was a small town, and their mangled love rectangle came along with family ties. "I just want you to stop being her husband so that you can be mine."

He brought her foot up and laid a butterfly kiss on her instep. "I'm already yours," he pledged. "As soon as the rest of the world recognizes that, we'll make it official. You know that I can't wait to marry you, Peyton. Other than playing professional basketball, it's the only thing I've dreamt about since I was sixteen."

The two of them continued to dream about the future, much like they had all those years ago when they would spend hours holed up in the room. Nathan painted her toenails and shared those dark thoughts he rarely let see the light of day. Peyton poured over a magazine and confessed all the things she never meant to really say aloud to anyone. The difference this time was that Nathan wasn't painting her nails to get some later; he was doing it just to spend time with the woman that he loved. Peyton wasn't reading about her own interests but rather a story about basketball she'd seen Nathan thumbing through the night before. Finally, when he screwed the cap back on the bottle and gave her toenails one last blow, he brought her into his lap and buried his face in her hair. "This is nice," he whispered. "I like living with you."

"Oh, really?" she asked teasingly, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Well, I like living with you."

"We're so sweet that it's sickening, you realize that?" he chuckled. "What would Peyton Sawyer, adolescent emo cheerleader extraordinaire, say if she could see you now?"

"She'd say that I look happy," she decided. "What would cocky basketball Nathan Scott think?"

"He'd say that I look like I'm in love," he answered. "Luckily for us, I think they're both right."

"Who's right?"

Peyton and Nathan whirled around to see a vivacious brunette standing in the doorway with one hand on her hip and a pair of car keys dangling from the other one. "Brooke!" Peyton nearly screamed as she scrambled off Nathan's lap so that she could embrace her best friend. The two girls clung to each other tightly until the sound of someone clearing their throat reminded them they weren't alone. "Oh, sorry, Mouth, I didn't see you there. What are you doing here?!?"

"That was your other surprise," Nathan explained as he came over to kiss Brooke hello. Peyton moved over to hug Mouth before returning to her fiancée's side. "You needed your car, and I kind of figured you could use your best friend. When I called to see if they could drive it back to Tree Hill, Brooke jumped at the chance to help me out."

"Anything for my P. Sawyer," Brooke shrugged as Mouth slipped his arm around her waist. "Nice digs."

"Yeah, looks familiar," Mouth added. "Who knew you two would end up where you began?"

Peyton shook her head. "We're definitely not where we began."

"Yeah, you didn't really know these two back then, but they were horrible together," Brooke laughed. Peyton suddenly remembered that day in the weight room where she had uttered those words after Nathan had shown her where he'd carved her initials and he'd felt the remains of her temper. "They were a mess."

"I don't know," Peyton countered as she looked up at Nathan. "I think we were kind of amazing. I mean, we can't know everything at sixteen. Sometimes life has to happen to us before we can really start the one we were destined to live."

Mouth looked over at his own girlfriend and nodded in agreement. "Just think of how you saw me at sixteen," he pointed out. "You would have said that we were horrible together then, but I don't think you think that now."

"I hate that the two of you are still smarter than me," she pouted, pushing out her bottom lip. "At least I still have Nathan."

"Hey!" he shouted before the other three erupted into laughter. Before anyone knew it, Nathan and Brooke were bickering about who was smarter, and Peyton and Mouth were trying to play referee. It was a lot like it had been when they were sixteen, only they were different. Brooke wasn't a bitch. Peyton wasn't a loner. Nathan wasn't a jerk. Mouth wasn't a nerd. They were friends.

As Brooke met Peyton's eye, they both smiled at each other. As good as it felt to be together like that, they knew they were missing two people. They were missing the guy who wasn't a bastard son and the girl who wasn't a tutor. They were missing Lucas and Haley. Brooke came over and slung her arm around her best friend's waist, leaning in to whisper, "Don't worry, we'll get them back," she vowed. "For now, be happy that the two people who love you most in the world are here. Enjoy the fact that we're all finally home."


	20. Chapter 20

Nathan couldn't believe his luck as pulled into the gravel lot near the River Court. It was a mysteriously and unseasonably warm day for Tree Hill in December, something he had been praying for all week since Haley had agreed to let Jamie spend the day with him and Peyton. He had chosen the basketball court because it was neutral territory and somewhere that his son would feel comfortable. Jamie had been excited to see his father and not really sure what to say about seeing Peyton.

"Are you sure about this, Buddy?" Nathan asked again as he reached across the seat and ruffled his son's hair. Jamie smiled up at his father and nodded silently. Nathan had to be sure that his son was okay with this. Things had changed so much so quickly. Meeting Peyton for the first time was something that was really important to him. She was going to be in his life for a very long time, and he didn't want Jamie's first memory of her to be a negative one. "I think that she's over there waiting for us."

Jamie jumped from the passenger seat of the SUV and waited for his father to come over to meet him. Haley was always getting onto him for running away from the car, so he waited until his hand was securely in Nathan's before ambling toward the basketball court. He barely managed to walk across the grass as he tried to balance the basketball under his free arm. "Is that her?" he asked, pointing to where Peyton was sitting, balanced on top of another basketball. "She's pretty."

"Yeah, she is," Nathan agreed as they stepped onto the court. He let go of Jamie's hand and let him walk over to Peyton on his own. The little boy eyed the blonde skeptically before sticking out his hand. Peyton grinned at him and reached out to shake it. "Sorry we're a little late. Someone couldn't find his shoes."

"I had to wear the ones like yours, Daddy!" he insisted, holding out his foot for emphasis. Nathan chuckled as he glanced down at their matching sneakers. It had taken quite a long time to find two pairs of sneakers in their very different sizes that were alike. "Do you like them, Peyton?"

She looked down at the shoes and nodded resolutely. "I think they're pretty cool," she declared before standing up. She wiped her hands on her jeans before shoving them into her black parka self-consciously. It had taken her a long time to find the perfect gift for the little boy. Nathan had insisted that she didn't need to get him anything, but she knew that she did. "This is for you."

Jamie took the package and turned it over in his tiny palm cautiously. He looked to his father for permission to open it. When Nathan nodded his approval, he quickly tore away the layer of brightly colored wrapping paper. He excitedly pulled out a silver whistle with his father's number engraved on one side and his name on the other. Nathan had talked for hours on how much Jamie liked to help him practice, and she had listened to more than a few stories from Lucas about how the little boy pretended to be a coach. "This is so cool!" he shrieked as he put the cord over his head. "Look at this, Daddy! It's just like Uncle Lucas' whistle."

Nathan tensed slightly at the mention of his brother before smiling for his son's benefit. "Yeah, you'll have to use it when you help me run drills the next time," he told him as Jamie blew it a few times. "What do you say we play a little basketball in the mean time? Think that you and Peyton can take me?"

"Yeah, probably not," Jamie and Peyton said in unison, causing all three to burst into laughter.

The three of them fell into an easy game of basketball. Peyton was even worse at the game than she was in high school, if it was possible, but Jamie showed the same signs of promise that Nathan had at an early age. However, unlike Dan, he hadn't transferred his dreams onto the little boy. He wanted Jamie to really love the game for its organic nature, not for the unfair expectations that were projected on him. By the time Jamie was starting to wind down from his energetic high, Peyton was watching from the sidelines and Nathan had taken to shooting free throws alone. Just as he was about to suggest heading over to Karen's Café for some of Jamie's favorite hot chocolate, an unwelcomed visitor threw them all into a tailspin.

"Uncle Lucas!"

Peyton and Nathan turned at the same time to see the little boy flying across the court into the arms of his beloved uncle. Lucas looked over Jamie's shoulder coldly as he hugged him tightly to his body. There was a group of people around their age, some that Peyton recognized and some that she didn't. If it wasn't for Brooke and Mouth, there wouldn't have been a single friendly face in the crowd. One person in particular stood out, a disinterested Haley. She hadn't known that this was where they were going to go when Lucas had picked her up. It was only after they had arrived that she figured out his plan. A part of her had wanted to go home but she wasn't sure what her best friend was going to do. They had been spending a lot of time together, just trying to help each other get through.

Nathan went to Peyton's side immediately. "What do you want to do?" he whispered in her ear.

"We have to stay," she replied. "This is about Jamie, not about me."

He squeezed her hand before leading her over to Haley and Lucas. "Hey, Hales," he greeted her politely. "I didn't know you were going to stop by."

"Neither did I," she confessed, and Peyton could tell she was telling the truth. "It just sort of happened."

Lucas put the little boy on the ground so that he could head over to his favorite Aunt Brooke. The dark brunette looked over at Peyton and quickly realized things were quickly going to head south. "What do you say that Mouth and I take Jamie here to Karen's for some cookies and cocoa?"

"I think that would be a good idea," Haley agreed, sensing the impending battle between the Scott brothers. She watched as her son hugged his father and then came over for her to do the same. She waited until the three of them were well out of earshot before saying anything else. "You guys, please, let's not do this."

"Do what?" Lucas asked menacingly, taking a step forward. "It's not like I meant to interrupt the quaint little family moment."

"Luke, stop," Peyton warned. She hated that it had gotten like this. "Come on, Nate, let's just go."

Nathan shook his head vehemently. He had been backing down to Lucas every time he'd gone by to pick up Jamie at Haley's. He had tried to be polite and amicable because he knew his brother was hurting. However, he wasn't about to let Lucas put Peyton or Jamie in the middle of this. "Luke, you want to fight, come on. Have a shot at me. It's not going to change anything. The sooner you see that, the sooner you can actually let yourself be happy."

Lucas jutted his chin at his brother adamantly. "All I see is a pathetic wannabe who peaked in high school dating my leftovers."

"Really?" Nathan laughed. "That's the best you got? I play in the NBA, and I dated Peyton first. Come on, Luke, I know you got more game than that."

It was right about that time that Lucas cocked back his arm and landed a right hook square on Nathan's jaw. The brunette clutched the side of his face without breaking the cocky smile. Lucas pushed him a few times, each time earning an aggravated chuckle from the younger of the brothers. Finally, with a third push, something in Nathan snapped and they started to shove each other and yell obscenities. Peyton and Haley stood by silently, in shock at what they were seeing. They both suddenly felt like they were sixteen again, watching the two boys fight over something that had happened to them long before they'd had a say in anything. Peyton kept waiting for Haley to break it up, but when she didn't, she knew she had to step up.

"Nathan, stop," she said just loudly enough for the boys both to here. When he didn't respond, she repeated it again. The tension between the brothers was thick, and she knew that it would only take one wrong step and it would break into a full-on brawl. She gently made her way between them, putting her back to Lucas so that she could look into Nathan's eyes. "Please, Nate, don't do this. This isn't what you want." His eyes locked with hers as his hardened gaze softened. He couldn't believe that he had fallen so easily into his old ways. "Come on, let's go home."

Without another word or look at his brother, Nathan accepted Peyton's outstretched hand and allowed her to guide him away from everyone. He paused only briefly to regard Haley. "I'll call you about Jamie," he told her. "I'm sorry that it turned out like this."

Haley watched as Peyton and Nathan walked to the car together, completely wrapped up in each other. She hated that Peyton had been so easily break Nathan out of his tunnel vision of anger. Haley had been able to do it on occasion but never that quickly. When they had disappeared out of sight and were tucked into the dark car, she turned to look back at her best friend with tears in her eyes. "I don't want it to be like this anymore, Luke," she said with broken sobs. "I don't it to hurt. Please make it stop."

"Oh, Hales," he sighed before drawing her into his arms. He felt guilty for egging his brother on, especially in front of Haley. "I didn't mean for it to happen like this. I shouldn't have brought you here."

She buried her face into his shoulder. "You're all I got now, Luke," she confessed. "Please, I know you're not this man. It's always been you and me against the world. It doesn't have to be the two of us against them. I know it hurts like hell, trust me, I want to hate them, too. We just can't because Jamie is that important. We're his family. She's going to be in his life just as much as you are. This has to be for him."

"I'll do anything you need," he promised. "You know that I would do anything for the two of you."

"Then let it go," she implored as she looked up into his eyes. He could see the pleading desperation shining up at him. He wished not for the first time that he could take all the pain away. "Just let her go."

Lucas reached down and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before leaning his forehead against hers. "She's gone, Hales," he promised. "It's just me and you."


	21. Chapter 21

It had taken three weeks and one very uncomfortable mediation session with a local judge before Haley and Nathan's lawyers were able to finally ensure that the state of North Carolina officially recognized them as divorced in the eyes of the law. It had been a bittersweet moment watching her scrawl her name on the bottom line – one that marked both an ending and a beginning of a great love. Neither of them had said much really, only offering a soft smile of apology and understanding. It wasn't an easy place to be, but it was where they had ended up. Nathan had Peyton and Haley had Lucas. As it was in the beginning, things had ended up how they were supposed to be.

That night, Nathan had surprised Peyton with a candlelight picnic on their bedroom floor, complete with the sappy music that she loved and the expensive imported beer that he liked. They had celebrated together, talking animatedly about all the things they could do now that they could truly be together like they wanted to be. Afterwards, once the food had been put away and the blanket stowed in the hall linen closet, they had made love for hours until they were both completely spent. Nathan had gone to sleep that night with a brilliant smile on his face, not questioning where the future would take him for once but knowing confidently that the best was yet to come.

The next morning, he woke up and reached his arm across the bed for Peyton. Without opening his eyes, he felt the unsettling coolness of bare sheets and an empty bed beside him. _Not again_, he thought to himself as his fingertips brushed against a piece of paper. Nathan took a deep breath and opened his eyes so that he could sit up and read what words she had left him with this time.

_Nathan Royal Scott,_

_I know that as soon as you woke up without me there and found this letter instead, it all came rushing back to you. Remember what I told you that first night in L.A.? Don't worry – you can't get rid of me this time. Go to the desk._

_I love you (always),_

_Peyton Elizabeth Sawyer_

Nathan grinned to himself as he walked across their bedroom to the desk. He pulled open the top drawer and found a velvet box. Somewhere between making love and talking all night, he had showed her the box. They still hadn't made any definite plans to get married, much to his disappointment. Always practical, she had insisted that they both needed time after the divorce to process what had happened. He had fallen asleep a few minutes later, right around midnight. She had left him soon after to go outside and think, and that was the last thing he could remember about the night before. Flipping open the box, he was relieved when he found another box.

_Nathan,_

_Did you notice the ring missing? I guess that means that this is really going to happen, doesn't it? The thing is, I can't wait to marry you. I kind of lied last night. I don't want to wait. Check out the closet._

_Your future wife,_

_Peyton_

He didn't even attempt to mask the wide grin that infiltrated his face as he threw his hands in the air in victory. Jogging across the room, he threw open the doors of the closet to find a box wrapped in elegant white paper. Attached to the silk ribbon holding it closed was a simple note card with yet another inscription from Peyton.

_Nate,_

_Inside the box is the only thing you need to make our dream come true. Get dressed and meet me at our spot. It's time._

_In anticipation,_

_Peyt_

Nathan carefully untied the ribbon and removed the paper. Inside the box was a black suit, classic in its designer detail. His heart raced a million miles an hour as thoughts tumbled around in his head. Everything was moving so fast all of a sudden, but he knew that this was right. In record time, he was dressed and jogging down the stairs toward his car. His hands shook as he turned the key in the ignition and started the motor. A few blocks away from the rest of his life, he realized. Nathan grew more and more restless with each passing street. He was ready for everything. His only regret was that they had waited this long.

Finally, the bridge came into sight. Looking at himself in the rearview mirror one last time, he adjusted his tie and headed toward the place they'd come to so many times before. A beautiful day awaited him outside, the unusually warm North Carolina sun shining over the water that flowed below. From far away, he could see her standing there. She had a simple white dress on and a bouquet of dark red roses in her hand. She was talking to a preacher when she spotted him. Smiling brightly, she tugged her finger through her loose blonde curls before raising her hand to wave to him.

As he came down the pathway, which sloped gently before rising back up to the stretch that led to the bridge, he saw a row of people sitting on both sides of a carpeted path in the middle of the bridge. Seated in white folding chairs were their friends and family. On the left side, her father sat along with her brother, Brooke and Mouth. Jamie was standing up front next to Peyton, dressed in a suit that matched his father's, holding a small satin pillow. To the right, sat his mother, his father, Karen, Skills and a few of the guys from the basketball team. There were two empty chairs on the front row between Dan and Karen.

"Mom!" he exclaimed in surprise as Deb raced to meet him. She threw her arms around him as he looked at Peyton over her shoulder. Jackson nudged his way between the two before Nathan scooped him up into an embrace. "I'm so glad you're here," he whispered to his mom as he kissed her on the cheek. His father came over shyly. Age had changed Dan Scott more than anyone could have predicted. He shook his father's hand before turning to Peyton's father. Once he had shook Larry's hand, he turned to Skills, Brooke and Mouth.

"You're here."

"Where else would we be silly?" Brooke asked as she hugged him. He noticed a smaller bouquet like Peyton's in her lap. "Besides, she had to have a maid of honor."

"Congratulations, Dawg," Skills laughed as he clapped his friend on the shoulder.

Mouth grinned as he pulled a boutonniere from a box beneath his seat and helped pin it on the lapel of Nathan's jacket. "Yes, congrats."

"Thank you both so much," Nathan said. He wanted to go to Peyton but he needed to ask Skills something. After he had stopped speaking to Lucas, Skills had been the closest thing to a brother Nathan had had the past two years. "Well, since she has a maid of honor, I guess I need a best man. What do you say?"

Skills nodded and revealed another boutonniere that was already pinned to his jacket. "She knew you would ask me."

Nathan laughed and then looked up at Peyton. She smiled at him and mouthed a declaration of love, utterly taking his breath away without even trying. Then, he noticed her eyes shift behind him and he turned slowly. Haley and Lucas were standing there together at the foot of the path. Haley pulled Lucas behind her. It had taken a lot of convincing, but she knew that Lucas would forever regret it if he wasn't here. Although the pain was immense of both of them and completely fresh, it had to be done.

"Congratulations, Nathan," Haley managed awkwardly.

Lucas looked down at his best friend and then at his younger brother. "Yeah, man," Lucas echoed as he reached out to shake Nathan's hand. "Congratulations."

"I can't believe you're here – that you actually came," Peyton smiled in disbelief as she walked down to meet the trio. "This means so much to me."

"To both of us," Nathan corrected, looking into Lucas' eyes.

In that moment, something shifted. It would take awhile for true forgiveness to begin, but in that instance, it didn't seem as unrealistic as it had just a few minutes before. "You didn't think I'd let you do this without me, did you?" Lucas joked, trying to break the tension of the moment as best as he could.

Finally, the preacher interrupted the strained reunion. "Are you ready?"

Nathan looked over at Skills, who nodded in understanding. "Almost," he called before turning to his brother. "Look, Luke, I know that I don't really have the right to ask you this, but you're still my brother. I can't imagine anyone else standing up there with me as my best man…I mean, you are the best man I've ever known. I know it's not fair to ask, but do you think you could anyways?"

Lucas nodded silently before laying a kiss on Haley's forehead. She closed her eyes at the sensation before going over to sit next to Karen. Finally, when the preacher asked if they were ready again, Nathan looked down at his beautiful bride-to-be. "This had been more than twenty years in the making, I think you could say we're more than ready."

Peyton took Nathan's hand as he held her down the aisle. At the last minute, before the preacher began to speak, she turned to him and giggled. "We're getting married."


	22. Chapter 22

A single acoustic guitar began to artfully play an instrumental arrangement Nathan had heard Peyton play numerous times over the past week as he took his place next to Lucas at the front of their impromptu wedding. Peyton stood at the back of the pathway, waiting for Brooke to make her way up toward the front before she could begin her ascent. Mouth's eyes were locked on the raven beauty as she marched in time to the soft beat, her gaze never wavering from his.

Everyone turned and stood as Peyton linked her arm through her fathers and began the short journey up the makeshift aisle. Her eyes sought out Nathan's, falling deeper into the azure pools with every step toward him. She didn't see the anything or anyone else in that moment. There was nothing else. It was only the two of them in a moment created especially to bring them together. Once she had found her endpoint next to Nathan, she slid her small hands in his and felt her breath get caught in her throat as the preacher began the ceremony.

"Family and friends, we have been invited her today to share with Nathan and Peyton a very important moment in their lives," the older man recited poignantly. "In the years that they have known each other, their love and understanding of each other has taken on many forms. Their devotion to one another has grown and matured, and now, they have pledged to share their lives together as husband and wife."

Peyton smiled brilliantly at Nathan. He looked into her olive eyes and felt confident in what they were about to do. It was easy to forget everything that had happened up until now. There was no Haley. There was no Lucas. There was no high school drama or years apart or unanswered questions. There was just this, their love, their beginning. His eyes skimmed over her beautiful face and fell onto her graceful neck. His smile widened as he took note of the delicate silver chain that hung there.

"Who supports this woman in her marriage to this man?"

"I do," Larry answered proudly, leaning down to kiss his only daughter on the forehead before making his way back to sit next to Mouth. Peyton watched at her father with great affection before glancing over her shoulder at Brooke. It was nice to have all her family in one place. It had been too long since she had had that.

The preacher turned to the couple and addressed them jointly. "Now, Peyton will share her vows and exchanging of the rings with Nathan," he announced. "These words were written by her from her heart especially for Nathan."

Nathan looked at Peyton in panic, suddenly realizing that he didn't have anything prepared. However, as she looked into his eyes, he knew that the right words would show up when he needed them to. They would come as easily as they had that day in California when he had fully surrendered his heart to her. Pushing all thoughts from his mind, he listened intently to her words.

"Nate, you were my beginning," she declared as she looked deeply into his eyes. "There are a million words I could describe to use how I feel about you and have felt about you over the years, but when it comes down to it, there are only two that really seem to fit – my heart. Even when I wasn't aware of it, not a single day has passed where I wasn't in love with you. I loved you when you were just a boy chasing me on the playground and I loved you when you were an arrogant jerk at sixteen painting my toenails and I love you now when you are an incredible father and an amazing man. I will love you all the days of my life. You are the ending of my endings."

With her words, she turned to Brooke and took the platinum wedding band into her delicate hand. She held his trembling palm in hers as she slid the ring over his ring finger. "With this ring, I promise that I will live my life with you and for you," she vowed. "I love you."

"And now, Nathan, your vows to Peyton," the preacher instructed.

"Peyt, you are the first person I ever called my best friend," he confessed as he gazed back at her with equal adoration she had shown him during her vows. "I can't remember a time when I didn't love you, and I am so happy that I will never have to know a day like that. Each moment I get to spend with you is an amazing blessing, and I will do my best to make certain that each moment we are together is better than the one before. So much has happened over the years, but through it all, you and I remained. I loved you in the beginning, and I will love you until the end."

Nathan reached down and took the ring from Jamie's tiny outstretched hand. He brushed a kiss over his only child's head and rose back to meet Peyton. Grasping her smaller hand in his, he slid the matching band until it rested just above the knuckle. "With this ring, I promise that I will live my life with you and for you," he promised. "I love you."

"By the power vested in me by the State of North Carolina, I now pronounce you husband and wife," the preacher cheered. "Nathan, you may kiss your bride."

Nathan looked at Peyton and laughed as he leaned in to capture her in a kiss. Quickly lost in the moment, he pulled her close to him and swept her off her feet. Turning her in a circle, he felt like it was the perfect movie moment. As they finally broke apart, she rested her forehead against his and looked into his blue eyes. She smiled brightly before leaning down to bring Jamie up between them. His arms encircled both his wife and his son – his family.

"Ladies and gentlemen, family and friends," the preacher proclaimed, "I present to you, Nathan and Peyton Scott."

A few hours later, Nathan and Peyton were locked in an embrace as they danced slowly on the River Court to their favorite Bob Seger song. Their friends and family surrounded them, laughing and enjoying the impromptu reunion. The newlyweds didn't notice, however; they were too caught up in each other to notice much of anything else. As one slow song faded into another, Peyton leaned her head against Nathan's shoulder.

"Well, Mrs. Scott, what do you think?" Nathan asked as he kissed the top of her head.

She sighed dreamily. "I think that this was a perfect day, Mr. Scott."

"And think," he mused as he leaned down to kiss his wife, "this is only the beginning."

_Fin._

_Author's Note: Thank you so much for taking time out to read and review this story – my first foray into the One Tree Hill fandom. This story has introduced me to some of the most amazing readers this site has to offer, especially the lovely rachtree and Tamarindo. The two of you have always had so much positive to say and have kept me updating simply in anticipation of hearing what you have to say. I have another story in the works for next year, so keep an eye out. Until then, it's been real. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!_


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